Strangers in the Night
by kay jolyn
Summary: Richard Grayson gave up all hope of ever finding true love, but all that changed when he falls head over heels literally for a gorgeous redhead with green eyes. Too bad she’s his best friend’s fiancé. AU. RobStar. COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**Title:**Strangers in the Night, Chapter 1  
**Author:**Kay Jolyn  
**Summary:**Richard Grayson gave up all hope of ever finding true love, but all that changed when he falls head-over-heels (literally) for a gorgeous redhead with green eyes. Too bad she's his best friend's fiancé. AU. RobxStar.

--

Richard Grayson slid carelessly across the plush, leather seats of the back of his Rolls Royce, tugging off the strangling silkiness that was his tie before the driver even shut the car door. He tossed the ridiculously expensive strip of cloth at his feet and leaned his head back over the top of the seat, sighing.

"To Wayne Manor, Master Dick?" the driver asked, his voice still polite in its monotone.

"No," Richard said, grimacing as he ran a hand down his face in a gesture of frustrated exhaustion. "You can drop me off at a little cafe somewhere. And not to any of those coffee house monstrosities they call Starbucks, either."

"Bad day at the office?" the former asked as he moved the car into the road.

"Norman, you have no idea," Richard muttered as the driver shot him a sympathetic grin through the rear-view mirror. "I don't know why Bruce insists that I sit through these meetings. He knows I don't like business."

"I do believe, sir," Norman said carefully, "that Master Bruce wanted you to…'_have a taste'_ of what you will be inheriting."

Richard merely sighed. Bruce Wayne was the Donald Trump of this age. He had his hand, and therefore his name, in a thousand projects from here to Metropolis, and back around the world. Even in his early forties, Bruce was still the richest, most eligible bachelor in the country. And as his adopted heir, Richard was to inherit everything. Yes, even the title of 'Most Eligible Bachelor'…though the media hadn't needed any kind of encouragement to escalate his own reputation to celebrity royalty. He still cringed at the sight of his "seductively stoic" face - words of _The Gotham Gazette_, not his - looking back at him from the cover of _GQ_ magazine.

"A little corner coffee shop, sir," Norman announced as he parked expertly against the curb. "A pick-up time, Master Dick?"

"Nah," Richard said as he placed a pair of dark glasses over his eyes. "I'll just call you." He opened the car door and let himself out before Norman even had a chance to get out of the driver's seat.

"Ah, sir," the driver called out of the window as Richard hurried away from the car. "You have a meeting with Master Roy at the East Gotham Harper Hotel at six o'clock tonight."

Richard stopped in his tracks and resisted to smack his own forehead. _Right_, he thought. _I'm meeting his fiancé today. Great._ "I know, Norman," he said instead, instantly feeling a pang of guilt. He was happy for his best friend's engagement, of course, but he wished he didn't have to meet her on a day when he was dog-tired. "I'll be there."

Finding that satisfactory, Norman rolled up the window and drove away.

Richard stayed where he stood for a few minutes after Norman left, merely collecting his thoughts. It was hard to imagine Roy Harper as a married man. The Harpers and the Waynes were two of the most wealthy and most influential families in Gotham, and he and Roy have been friends since childhood. They went to school together, with Richard excelling in academics while Roy shone on the track field, thus earning him the nickname, "Speedy." However, very much unlike Richard, Roy hugged the limelight and became Gotham's most notorious playboy. Richard tried to keep out of the public eye as much as he could, but it didn't help being the heir to the million-dollar technological firm that was Wayne Enterprises or the best friend of the country's most popular male celebrity.

Richard's head shot up. Somewhere to his right a car horn was urgently blaring, and in a rush of panic he saw a redheaded girl walk dreamily across the busy intersection towards him. She was grinning softly into space, her eyes half-closed in what seemed to be empty-headed drunkenness.

"Watch out!" he yelled as a black Mercedes zipped mere inches behind her, making her hair and knee-length coat fly in the wind. And still the stupid girl walked on! He turned and saw a truck come rocketing around the corner, its driver distractedly talking on a cellphone cradled between his ear and shoulder. By the time the driver would see the girl, or vice versa, it would be too late.

Feeling unusually clearheaded, Richard felt himself dart across the road before he even realized he started running. He grabbed hold of the girl's hand and jerked her forward, out of the way of incoming traffic. Unfortunately, the force of his pull sent her barreling into him, sending them both stumbling across the rest of the street and crashing to the hard sidewalk where he stood not a minute before. Richard landed painfully on his back and uttered an "_Oof!_" when the girl fell fully across his chest.

The truck zoomed by harmlessly.

"What were you _thinking_?" Richard gasped, acutely aware of the pain that shot up his spine and, now that he could think clearly, the rest of his body. "You could have di--"

His words died on his lips. The girl on his chest stared at him in utter shock, her mouth hanging open and her emerald green eyes - no longer dim and dreamy - large and wide. Her long, brilliantly red hair was in disarray, and her skin was an erotically exotic shade of golden brown. They seemed to be unable to speak, or take their eyes off one another.

She must have been…no, she _was_ the most beautiful woman Richard had ever seen. Perhaps not beer-commercial beautiful, but she had an aura that drew him to her. Her eyes, especially. He never saw such a radiant green. _Wait,_auraRichard thought, totally surprised with himself. _What the hell?_

Something in his face must have snapped her back into reality, because she jumped and cried out, "Oh, forgive me!" as scrambled off his chest, apologizing again when he groaned after she kneed him in the thigh. "Please, do forgive me!" she said, her naturally tanned face swiftly turning an alluring shade of red.

"It's fine," Richard said gruffly as he got to his feet, wondering why he wanted, so badly, to place her slight accent. He picked up his glasses, which had fallen to the ground after the redheaded girl had collided with him, and settled them swiftly onto his nose. The people who had been frozen at the sight of the near-accident faded away now that the excitement was gone. Distractedly, he thanked the heavens that no one recognized him. Maybe they were too busy staring at the gorgeous redhead in the lavender miniskirt and the matching pumps, and cursing the tan knee-length jacket that did no justice to her long legs at all. Hey, _he_ sure was…

"No, no! You were hurt because I was foolish!" she said, interrupting his not-quite-so-clean thoughts as she clutched at his arm, her eyes wide with worry.

"I'm not really. And yes, you were," he said, instantly regretting the way his voice sounded harsher than he intended.

She drew her hands to herself, clutching them together in front of her body. "Oh no! You are angry," she pouted, her lower lip trembling. She turned behind her, saw the little coffee shop, and turned back to him with a enormous grin on her face. "Look," she said taking hold of his hand, "there is a coffee house. I will buy you a coffee, or perhaps a…a _latte_. Would you forgive me then?"

"I…" was all Richard could make out as she proceeded to drag him into the coffee house. He couldn't help but grin at the childish determination on her heart-shaped face, and wondered, vaguely, what he got himself into this time.

--

"I should save people's lives more often," Richard teased as he stirred his double espresso mocha latte.

The girl grinned at him, her expression playful. She had insisted that she buy him anything he'd like, even though he told her that he had more than enough money to pay for coffee for the both of them (and probably enough for everyone in a ten mile radius, but he didn't say that). It appeared, as impossible as it may seem, that she had no idea who Richard Grayson was, and he wanted to keep it that way. He hadn't _really _talked to anyone since before he could remember, and the girl that sat across from him in that little corner coffee shop was perhaps the most genuine, most interesting person he'd met in a long time. She spoke animatedly, and made him laugh. Roy sometimes accused him of being anti-social, but he found himself speaking as animated as she did, and it both scared and exhilarated him.

"Ah, the price of life has been reduced to a simple cup of double espresso," she said ruefully. "_Will _I ever be able to pay you back accordingly? I do hope so," she added with a delicate sigh. "I feel as if that latte you hold in your hand is not enough of a thank-you gift."

"Don't worry about it," he said, taking a sip. "It's the best latte I've ever had." And somehow, as he glanced at the red-haired beauty in front of him, he felt as if it were true.

He cleared his throat. "So," he began conversationally, "what was so mind-occupying that you'd walk across a _very_ busy street without a care in the world? Hm?"

The girl laughed, and he found himself picturing a clear, crystal bell ringing sweetly in his ear. "Ah," she murmured, that dreamy look stealing back into her eyes. "I was simply thinking of my--Oh no!" she started, staring at her watch as she bolted up from her chair so fast that it toppled over backwards. "Five-thirty already? Oh my, I must have lost track of time! I will be so very late! Oh, late, late, late!" she cried, picking the chair from off the floor and hastily pulling on her tan jacket. "Oh, and thank you _so_ very much for saving my life, it was _truly_ wonderful speaking with you, and I _do_ hope we will meet again someday!" she said quickly, breathlessly. Then, she leaned over the table and gave him a swift kiss to the cheek, too fast for him to react. "Thank you! Goodbye, Friend!" And with that, she darted out of his life, leaving him with his mouth agape and his hand to his cheek, his face as red as tomato.

--

It was a good five minutes before Richard got back the presence of mind to realize that 1) he had forgotten all about his meeting with Roy, and 2) he hadn't even gotten her name.

It was all he could do to resist kicking himself all the way down to Wayne Manor. And it wasn't because of his unavoidable tardiness, either.

"Hey Norman," Richard muttered absently into his cellphone, "do you think you can make me a little less late than I already am to Roy's hotel?"

"Of course, Master Dick," Norman said. Even over the phone, Richard could sense a ghost of a grin behind the monotony. And it did nothing to improve his mood. True to his word, however, Norman arrived within the next five minutes, and by some sort of miracle managed to get Richard halfway to the other side of the city with minutes to spare. He even found a parking space.

"I really should get a raise," Norman deadpanned as he maneuvered the car against the sidewalk. Richard glanced up at the rear-view mirror and caught the sparkle of mischief in the older man's gray eyes.

"A raise, and whatever else your heart desires, Norman," Richard said with a grin as Norman opened the car door for him. "How about another vacation? Take your wife to a nice resort in Hawaii or something."

"Barbados, if it pleases you, sir."

"Done."

--

"Dick Grayson!" Roy Harper cried out, his fiery red hair glinting in the light of the chandelier in the main lobby of the East Gotham Harper Hotel. Richard smoothed back his uncooperative black locks and folded his sunglasses into his pocket. He grinned at the sight of his best friend.

"Where have you been, man?" Roy asked, taking Richard's hand in a vigorous handshake. "You didn't even show at Uncle Oliver's autumn gala last week!"

"Something came up," Richard muttered with a slight smile.

"Something always comes up," Roy sighed good-naturedly, giving Richard a hearty clap on the back. "At least you were actually on time today."

"Of course," Richard said, swallowing the lump of guilt that caught in his throat. "So where is she, man? This 'Kory Anders'?"

Roy laughed, wrapping his arm around Richard's shoulders. "Freshening up in the bathroom. She actually got here like thirty seconds before you did, looking like she ran all the way from the other side of town." He winked. "Even then, you'll eat your heart out, man. She's one hot babe." Roy's eyes moved from Richard's face to somewhere behind him, and Roy's expression brightened up considerably. "Kory, baby!" he cried, running past Richard towards a slim figure descending the grand staircase. He grabbed his fiancé by the waist and swung her around, finally setting her down to plant a full kiss on her lips, the latter giggling immensely.

"Honey, this is Richard Grayson, my best friend in all the world!" Roy said, taking Kory's hand and leading her around to stand in front of Richard.

Richard will forever wonder why his mind chose to blank out before that very moment his best friend's fiancé came to stand in front of him. And why hers seemed to, also.

Kory's hand flew to her mouth, and her other hand rose to point directly at Richard's chest. "It…it is…"

"It's you," Richard finished incredulously, seriously considering pinching himself to see if he was dreaming. Everything seemed pretty real, even the red-haired girl in the lavender skirt he had saved earlier that day, who was, strangely enough, standing before him at that exact moment.

"You…know each other?" Roy asked, his eyes darting between them with perfectly manicured eyebrow raised in question.

Kory snapped out of her reverie, and turned to Roy excitedly. "He is the one, Roy! He is the kind man who saved me today!"

* * *

TBC!

Comments and Constructive Criticism _very_ much appreciated.

Love always, Jolyn


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N **- First of all I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed! You guys are my reason to keep writing. I hope all you out there like this chapter…to tell you guys the truth I'm not all that crazy about it. Next chapter…:rubs hands together:…we're going to stiiiir things up, that we will! MUAHAHA! ARE YOU READY FOR THE RIDE, RICHY? Gosh, I'm just so horrible. So hang it there guys, and I hope you enjoy the read anyway :hugs: for all!

**Angelina**- Hi! Thank you so much! Hope you enjoy this next chapter!  
**Jadedea **- Hee hee, thanks for the comment!  
**Lupine-eyes**- Your lovely comment made up for the lack of constructive criticism. Hee. Thanks so much!  
**xox.Annie Potter.xox - **xD Haha, your comment made me laugh. Thank you so very much for the compliments. Despite what everyone might say, Starfire is actually a kind of difficult character to write…I don't really want to make her OoC like I've done with the other characters, since I want her childish innocence to shine through in this fic. RobStarSpeedy triangles are to die for, aren't they?  
**Lil' LIK Star **- Hmm…_maybe_ Rich and Kori will get together…who knows? Hee hee…aren't you just _dying_of suspense? Thanks for the comment!  
**RobinStarfire **- I'm glad you liked it! Hope I didn't disappoint on this chapter. Thanks for the comment!  
**Neko Starfire** - Haha, somehow I thought your comment was pretty funny. Thanks!  
**SuperrachiE **- xD Oh, so funny…after I typed out that scene I was like, 'Oh my, it's so Wedding Planner!' The only things missing are the heels and the roll-y garbage thingy. Why'd you'd save a pair of shoes instead of saving yourself from a roll-y garbage thingy is _beyond_me. Thanks for the comment!  
**Thugette90** - Aawww I'm sorry if I kept you waiting too long! Thank you for the comment!  
**Illegally Blonde **- I love your username! It's cute. Glad you like!  
**Twilight785** - Thanks! I hope you like this chapter!  
**LittleOneOfDoom** - Haha! Your wish is my command!  
**Rose **- Thanks for the theme song! Hee hee…it's officially the Strangers in the Night theme song…well, let's say it's part of the compilation, since the title is actually a Frank Sinatra song that I based this whole story on. Thanks for the cute comment!  
**EarthAngel - **I knowww, I'm just so horribly evil sometimes. There will be a _lot _more Richy-torture before the end, poor thing! Dramatic irony to its most evil, I'd have to say. Thanks for the comment!  
**GiRl Of DaRkNeSs **- Hi! Sorry to keep you waiting so very long…Oh boy, what _will_ Richard do to himself if Kori and Roy go through with it? We'll have to see and find out! Thanks for the comment!  
**Jeanniestorm - **Glad you like it! Hope you like this chapter too!  
**Strodgfrgf **- 100 reviews would be a _dream_! Thanks for suggesting that my fic's good enough for so many reviews…hee hee. Get off your knees, girl, the next chapter's here! Yay!  
**Fallen Samurai** - Welcome to drama central indeed! Thank you so much…that comment made my day!

* * *

**Strangers in the Night - Chapter 2**

Richard never saw anyone laugh quite so much. Roy thought the whole thing was incredibly amusing, and if Richard hadn't felt so…_horrible_, well, maybe he'd have thought it was funny, too. Kory had thrown herself at Richard in a hearty bear hug, apologizing and asking him whether he'd like to be her friend in her strangely proper, hesitant English. The entire night after that was spent in their presence, and Richard struggled with himself to figure out why he felt so sick to his stomach.

"…how we met. You alright there, Rich? You don't look so great."

Richard realized that he had once again drifted off into his own thoughts, and fought to decipher what Roy had just said. "I'm fine," he said quickly. "Long day." He put down his martini. "I don't think I can take any more."

"I know what you mean," Kory said immediately, lifting her Coke. "I, too, can not stand excessive amounts of alcohol. Would you for like me to get you something else?" she asked, already halfway out of her seat. "I really do not mind at all--"

"No, I'm fine."

Kory dropped back down next to Roy. "Oh," she said, forcing a smile. "Alright. Would _you_ like anything, Roy?" she asked, turning to her fiancé.

Richard stifled a grimace. He had been less pleasant to be around than a swarm of bees, he realized. Kory, who he was already convinced was the sweetest, nicest, most adorable creature on earth, was also as convinced that he didn't like her at all. She was, to say the least, distraught that she couldn't befriend her own fiancé's best friend

"Another martini, if you really don't mind," Roy said, giving her a winning smile as he leaned over to give her a quick peck on the lips, obviously oblivious to their discomfort.

"I will be…right back," she murmured, smiling gently as she got to her feet, her eyes locked on Roy's. He watched her go until she disappeared from view, and it wasn't until then that he turned to his best friend.

"So, what do you think?"

Richard stared intently at him to keep his eyes off the girl. "Of her?"

"_Yes_, of Kory," Roy said with an impatient roll of his eyes. "What do you think of _Kor_y?" he repeated, his words teasingly slow.

"She's great, Roy," Richard answered with an inaudible sigh.

The redhead leaned back, a satisfied smile on his handsome face. "I knew you'd like her," Roy said happily.

"Yeah," Richard muttered. He saw Kory walk back towards them, and immediately fell silent.

"So," Kory said as she set down a glass in front of Roy, attempting another shot at conversation. She saw Richard and Roy conversing, and wondered why Richard seemed so restricted around her. "I heard you and Roy have been friends forever."

Richard looked at her as she leaned forward in her seat, looking genuinely interested. Roy moved to rest a hand on her exposed knee, and Richard found himself wishing he could disappear through the floor.

Suddenly…_Oh, shit_, Richard thought, realization causing him to break out in cold sweat as the floor dropped from under him. _I like her. _He bolted from his seat, the surprised couple's eyes following his abrupt movement.

"Richard--" Kory began, obviously distressed.

"I have to go," he said flatly. "Nice meeting you. Goodbye."

"I-I do not think Friend Richard likes me at all," Richard heard Kory whisper as he darted away in an attempt to leave all these conflicting emotions behind, hating himself for his cowardice.

"Oh no, he likes you, baby," Richard heard Roy answer distractedly, fishing for his phone, which had begun to ring shrilly. "Hello? Andrew? Listen…"

"But Roy…"

"Kory, sweetie, I need to take this call. Don't worry about Rich. He's like that with strangers." As he was halfway out of the doors and into his waiting Rolls Royce, Richard glanced back to see Roy get to his feet and rush to the corner of the room, where he prattled on into the phone in an agitated tone. Taking another swift look towards the girl, Richard was dismayed to find her alone on the couch, her lips set in a grim line and her expression close to tears.

--

_Stupid, stupid, stupid, _Richard thought breathlessly, pounding the mantra into his brain. _You're a fool, Dick Grayson. A stupid love sick fool._

"Would you like anything in particular for dinner, Master Dick?" Alfred asked when Richard stepped foot into Wayne Manor.

_Of all the women in the world, it had to be _her_. You idiot._

"Master Dick?" Alfred said carefully, noting Richard's heavy footsteps up the winding staircase.

_I deserve to be shot and killed. Or hung. _

Richard ripped open his door and didn't even bother to turn on the lights. "RAT POISON!" he yelled with a considerable amount of self loathing before slamming the door so hard, it rattled on its hinges.

"…Right then. Broiled or fried?"

--

Dinner consisted not of rat poison but of the finest cut of steak in all of Gotham. Not that Richard would know, since he'd done nothing but stare unseeingly at his food all evening. He could feel the servants watch him from the corners of the room, worried expressions from those who hadn't learned to school their faces like the veterans. He was alone for dinner tonight, since Alfred had told him earlier that Bruce had abruptly up and left to personally oversee his latest philanthropist project: the funding of an art gallery in France, which showcased the works of local street painters. The lone candelabra in the middle of the long, black, rectangular dining table provided the only light in the enormous room, since he'd refused to have the mighty golden chandelier above him lit. From the stories he'd heard from Alfred, he realized he must have looked like a younger Bruce Wayne, sulking in the dark like he was. He felt a maniacal laugh bubble up from within him at the thought, but swallowed it down in fear of making the servants think he'd gone insane.

_You_have _gone insane, you stupid fool. _

He dropped his fork.

_Falling in love with your best friend's fiance. Just stab him in the damn back why don't you._

…_Wait. Love?_

He pushed the high-backed chair away from the table and stood up. "Look," he grated, "I'm really not that hungry. I think I'll just go to my room."

The relief on the servants' faces was unmistakable.

He pushed open the double doors that led out into the marble hall, taking a deep breath as if the dining room suffocated him. He began to head up the grand staircase to his sleeping quarters, but felt his body turn towards the exercise room, which lay in the very bowels of Wayne Manor. Bruce had once told him that the basements of the Manor had been used in the Underground Railroad, but was now no longer the damp, musty cave-like area it once was. Many years ago, when he was just around Richard's age, Bruce had renovated the entire thing into a high-tech, fully-equipped training room when he'd acquired an almost unhealthy obsession with the martial arts. Richard had never seen Bruce fight to his fullest potential, but from the little he'd seen, he was sure of one thing: He never wanted to meet Bruce in a dark alley.

Now as Richard took out all his pent-up frustration on the heavy, red punching bag hanging from the wall of the training room, he felt his body move fluidly in various Aikido attack positions, just as Bruce had taught him. It left him gratifyingly clearheaded. Nothing existed except him, his body, his mind, and his opponent. Not even Kori Anders, nor the painfully pure green of her eyes…

Richard lost his balance mid-kick and fell into a heap on the floor.

"Master Dick," Alfred's voice boomed over the intercom. "A phone call for you."

"Fine, Alfred," Richard sighed as he got to his feet and reached for the cordless phone attached to the wall. "I'll just take it right here--"

"It's Master Roy."

_Damn it._ He reluctantly plucked the phone from its receiver and held it to his ear. "Hello?" he said with a grimace, hoping Roy wouldn't notice his emotion through the phone.

He didn't. "Richard, my man!" the latter said gleefully, sounding a little…intoxicated. "Why'd you run off so quickly?" He didn't wait for Richard to answer. "You didn't give me a chance to invite you to my…uh, wedding shower Friday night. And don't you say no, I_ have_ to have my best man there, don't I?"

Richard froze in the act of wiping the sweat from his brow with a towel. "I'm…your _best man_?"

"Of course!" Roy said, and Richard could almost see Roy wink. Then, his voice sobered. "Listen man…you've been there for me forever, and I want you to know how much that's meant to me. You've been my best friend, ever since we were kids, and you've stuck with me even when no one else would. I couldn't think of anyone else better to be my best man."

Richard's stomach dropped, guilt forcing the taste of bile up into his throat. "Roy…"

"Ahh, but let's stop with all the mushy stuff," Roy continued, waving the "mushiness" away. "You'll go, won't you? Dick Grayson?"

"Of course, Roy. I wouldn't miss it for anything."

"Great, man! See you then!" said Roy before hanging up. Richard kept the phone at his ear for a good two more minutes before placing it back into its receiver. He leaned his back against the wall and slid down it until he sat on the cold, padded floor, his head in his hands.

_What have I gotten myself into now?_

* * *

As always, comments and constructive criticism is appreciated!

Love Always, Jo


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**: Hey guys! I'm loving all those comments…when I log on and see a new one, it just totally makes my day, so thank you! And to all my other readers, thanks for sticking with me this long! Anyway, this chapter will basically show the _other_ side of Richard Grayson, the side that he reveals to the media and the rest of the public. We'll meet some old friends, and for once this chapter will have a happy ending. Watch out though, the journey's going to be _very_ dramatic, almost to the point of being angsty, but bear with me! Just because you guys are just too awesome, I made this chapter almost twice as long as the other two, instead of breaking it up into two parts like I had originally intended and making you guys wait a few days for the second part. So…I _really_ hope you guys enjoy this one!

Love always and God Bless, Jo

**Jadedea** - Hi there! Thanks for your second comment! You're right, I _have_ put Rich in a horrible situation, but I love him dearly, so I won't…_kill _him or anything, if that's comforting…lol.  
**April A **- Hey! Ohh, the drama…it makes life exciting, I suppose. Hee hee. Glad you like! Thanks for the comment!  
**Rose** - Hi again! I'm not sure why I chose Speedy to be Richard's best friend. It just seemed to fit somehow. I think they would have been good friends under different circumstances, since they're so much alike. As for Roy being a "perverted flirt," I've definitely seen that in a lot of fics! It's pretty funny how it's used so much, but it's giving the poor guy a bad name. In this fic, Roy is a good guyHe just…uhm…has a hard time keeping his priorities straight. Hope that answers your other question! Hee hee!. Ooohh, that's it, we're so making a Strangers in the Night CD. We'll make tons of money.  
**NoBoDy's AnGeL473 -**Hi there! Don't worry it'll get better for him…eventually…hee hee. Thanks for the comment!  
**Lil' LIK Star **- xD Being psycho is fun! As for that happy ending you're asking for…well, all I can say is to keep reading and find out:dodges flying fruit: EEK!  
**Samantha** - Hmm…I hear you, but I'm not understanding. I'm sorry that you think that I think Starfire's stupid, because that's not true at all, and there's nothing in my story that suggests that. She is, after all, my favorite Teen Titans character. However, if you still believe that I somehow implied anywhere in my story that I thought Starfire was "stupid", please let me know instead of flaming me. Thanks.  
**SuperrachiE** - xD Hahaha! You're right, JLo _definitely_ has enough money for shoes, so she has no reason to be worrying about them. Ohhh yess, I just know people will come after me if they don't end up together, and I appreciate the offer:sweat drop: Conversation? What conversation:whistles innocently: Hee hee…hope you enjoy!  
**TheRingMistress** - Hi! So glad you liked it! Hope you like this one too! Thanks for the comment!  
**Thugette90** - Hey Christi! I knoww..! Kory's going to have a hard time in this chapter too, poor thing. I don't like making her suffer. TT  
**xox.Annie Potter.xox - **You're absolutely right…I thought that way too at first, but my friend (who's also sort of my beta-reader, God bless her) said that it was, after all, love at first sight and that he'd already noted the difference in himself while conversing with her in the coffee shop. So he just sort of added up those changes in him and the discomfort (aka jealousy) he felt when Roy touched her, and figured out his feelings, yes, rather quickly. He's a smart one, that Richard. Hehe, you're very funnyy. xD Ohh Star's so hard to write…this chapter killed me. She's naïve, but she knows a lot more than she lets on, and it's hard to know what's going through her head sometimes.  
**RobinStarfire** - Hi! Ohh I'm glad I didn't disappoint you..! I hope you enjoy this one too. I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long:D  
**Hopeless Romantic **- Hi there! Ever since I saw the episode, 'Winner Take All,' I just _knew_ I wanted to write a fic where Speedy and Robin were fighting over Starfire. I suppose it's just another obstacle, them being friends and all. Thanks for liking my fic! I appreciate the very sweet comment!  
**GiRl Of DaRkNeSs **- Hehe, I hope I hadn't kept you waiting too long. Hope you like this one too! Thanks for the comment!

* * *

**Strangers in the Night: Chapter 3 **

Richard sat stiffly in his seat, his mouth set in a grim line as the girl next to him squealed at the sea of babbling reporters and photographers just flashing away outside of the Rolls Royce.

"Oh my god," she trilled, utter excitement shining in her eyes. "Look at all my adoring fans, Dick! Do I look okay? Oh, what am I saying, I look _gorgeous…_deep breaths Kitty dear, they're all here to see _you_…" she muttered to herself, waving enthusiastically at the mass of screaming girls straining against a barrier of velvet rope and steroid-infused celebrity bodyguards.

"You ready?" Richard asked through gritted teeth as the car coasted to a smooth stop, choosing not to tell the seemingly dim-witted girl that the windows of the car were tinted from the outside.

"Yeah, one second," Kitty said, waving a perfectly manicured hand at him as she patted her blonde hair into perfection. She adjusted her floor-length, cotton candy-pink gown that had an atrociously low neckline that showed more than enough cleavage, and the numerous, glittering diamond jewelry that adorned her neck and wrists…courtesy of Richard's wallet. "I'm ready," she said as she shook herself and took a deep breath. "Let's go."

"Great," Richard grunted exasperatedly as someone opened the car door for him. He met the explosion of screams of boy-crazy teenage girls with a wave, and the blinding camera flashes with a shining smile. He stepped out of the car and offered Kitty a hand, which she promptly ignored as she jumped out onto the lengthy red carpet. She gave an impossibly exaggerated gasp and slapped a hand to her lipsticked mouth, her shoulders raised in staged surprise.

"Oh,_hello_," she cried sweetly, waving a hand delicately at the screaming girls (who, sadly enough, had no interest in the pink-gowned stick of a woman and strained towards Richard so forcefully that half a dozen guards had to rush over and subdue them). "An autograph, dear? Of course!" Kitty snatched a notebook and a pen from the nearest screeching fan girl, who immediately stopped her ruckus and gaped at her, then at Richard, who gave her a slight, apologetic smile. When Kitty shoved the notebook back into the girl's hands and sauntered off, Richard quickly signed his name onto a blank page, gave the girl a quick smile, and hurried over to pry Kitty off a hassled magazine reporter. A woman in a crisp blue suit shot the blonde a glare before flashing a nearby news camera with an impeccably perfect, white-toothed smile before announcing,

"_This is Vicki Vale, and we're here at Harper Manor celebrating the engagement of local playboy Roy Harper - haha, sorry ladies - and a virtually unknown: Kory Anders, younger sister of legendary clothing designer Kam Anders, who, by the way, just came out with her newest line, _Starfire_ by Kam. She said something about it being a joint project, but no one quite knows who the mystery partner is. Anyway, here's the second leg of the Grayson-Harper duo, Richard Grayson! How are you feeling tonight?"_

"Great to be here, Vicki," Richard drawled in a voice reserved for the public. He'd already schooled his face into his reputably stoic expression, his eyes relaxed in laid-back boredom.

The girls behind him were screaming themselves hoarse, and the reporters before him were scrambling all over each other just to get a word in. The voices around him grew to a deafening extremity, and he suddenly felt very, very tired. But he was Richard Grayson, adopted son and heir of_the_ Bruce Wayne, and he had a job to do. An image to keep up. A name to live up to.

"_Richard Grayson! What do you feel about being on the cover of GQ magazine? We heard that…"_

"Quite an honor," he answered fluidly, his voice pretentiously bored as he expertly flicked a wave there, a quick grin here, to satisfy a photographer clamoring for his attention, for a perfect shot.

"_Barbara Gordon has a new boyfriend! Did you know about him?"_

"Babs and I are just friends now. I'm happy for her."

"_Who's your newest girl toy, Rich?"_

"My name is Kitty Moth," Kitty said before Richard could answer. She pushed him aside and twirled her floor length pink ball gown for the photographers to feast their eyes on. However, it didn't have the affect she'd quite hoped for. "I'm an actress!" she shouted over the questions that were still being bombarded at her companion. "And a model! I'm Dr. Moth's daughter!" she screamed, pushing against Richard in an attempt to…steal his limelight.

"The plastic surgeon?" a man with a notepad asked interestedly.

"Yes," Kitty said, nodding eagerly. "Yes, he's my daddy."

The man laughed. "You got your nose done or something, Grayson?"

Richard smirked and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, Matt, and ruin _this_?" He pulled a comical face at the nearest photographer, who snapped away at his camera in complete delight. "Come on, Kitty," he said, taking her arm and dragging her away towards the door.

"Always the crowd pleaser," Richard heard someone say behind him as the din was abruptly shut out by a pair of heavy double doors pulled close by two incredibly muscled men. He gave a sigh in the dimness of the giant marble foyer before crossing to the intricately carved wooden doors at the end of the entrance hall. The doors before him were opened, this time into a marble balcony looking out over a shimmering, golden ballroom teeming with dozens of the country's young elite; models, actors, singers, and, like Richard, heirs to million-dollar franchises. The golden ceiling glittered in the lights of a dozen giant crystal chandeliers, which made the flowing champagne glow with a rich yellow hue. Delicate white drapes hung from the walls, flowing to the floor and over the low, plush couches with golden tiger claws for legs. Tables overflowing with plates of caviar and bottles of ridiculously expensive wine stood against the far wall, and Richard sighed at the thought of the impoverished children of this city alone that wouldn't have a thing to eat tonight. The only thing that took away from the outrageously lavish setting was the wild hip-hop music blaring from the giant stereos in the back of the room.

"Oh. My._God_!" Kitty squeaked from beside him, startling him from his thoughts. She gaped at the sight before her, and very nearly tripped on her stilettos as she and Richard descended the grand staircase. He glanced at her, slightly amused. Yes, to someone like her, a stranger to the celebrity lifestyle, it would seem like heaven. But to him…Richard frowned just slightly, a small turn of the lips that no one else would see…to him, this was a prison, and he the prisoner.

"Go play," he said, his voice flat. Spotting her favorite movie star, Kitty dropped his arm and sprinted off in his direction, a look of sheer glee on her heavily painted face. Many of the girls he dated or took to high-profile parties (just to please the media, or, occasionally, Bruce) were either _very _high up on the celebrity ladder or just another bimbo whose parents had enough money to have been able to exchange two words with Bruce Wayne. Kitty Moth was no exception. This time, her plastic-surgeon father Dr. Moth had perfected the porcelain face of the star of the newest Broadway play Bruce was funding, and therefore had to speak with Bruce himself on a few occasions. Perhaps as a joke, or simply just to frustrate his adopted son, Bruce had…_suggested_ that Richard take his daughter to Roy's engagement party.

"_You want me to do _what?"

"_Take her to prom, Richard," Bruce had said, looking to be on the verge of laughter. "She seems like such a…_nice_ girl."_

"Yo, Dick!"

He turned at his name, the expressionless mask already over his face. He relaxed immediately when he spotted his caller: a tall, black, bald young man with an enormously friendly grin.

"Vic, how's it going?" Richard said in greeting as he grasped the taller man's hand in a firm handshake. Victor Stone's father partly owned Stone and Beecher, the main technological contributors for Wayne Enterprises. Vic, pro football player and obsessive mechanic, was one of his closest friends and, much like Richard, shunned the limelight and would have played pro football even without the perks or the money.

"_I just like what I'm doing, man," _Victor had said to him many years ago. Richard admired him most out of his few, selected friends because he was a man who saw things in a simple manner and took things in stride, and as a result, was content with life. That was something Richard envied: Contentment. Joy. _Life._

"Awright," Victor said with a shrug, looking as uncomfortable in his suit as a bear in the same constricting clothing. "I'd rather be playing football then be in this crowd, ya know?" He shot Richard a asserting glance. "And I'd think you're the same."

"You can say that again," Richard muttered he watched a girl in a pink dress stumble drunkenly in the middle of the ballroom, dancing with an equally drunk man with shocking blue hair.

Victor followed his line of vision and laughed heartily. "Is that one yours, dude? She's…uh…"

"Don't say it."

"…just your type."

"What?" Richard said, feeling slightly offended.

"Kidding, man," Vic amended gently. "Yeah, even if the rest of the world thinks you're a womanizing asshole--"

"Hey..."

"--_I_ don't think you are. And neither do your other friends. So…" Vic clapped a huge hand onto Richard's shoulder. "Be cool, aiight? And don't bring any more girls like _that_ around," he said, shooting an exasperated look at Kitty. "You _can_ help improve your image, you know. You stubborn ass." And with that, Vic walked away with a friendly wave, most likely in search for his girlfriend, Karen Beecher.

Richard stared after him until he disappeared into the crowd, a smirk on his face.

"Dick Grayson! _Dick!_" Roy called out, pushing through the masses of dancing bodies. Richard was about to yell a greeting in return before he choked on his own voice at the sight of the incredibly flustered-looking redheaded girl at the end of Roy's arm. Needless to say, Kory looked absolutely gorgeous in a simple, but agonizingly sexy violet halter-top gown. Richard grabbed a glass of champagne off the tray of a passing waiter and gulped it down to moisten his tongue, which had stuck to the roof of his mouth at the sight of her.

"Been calling you for the past five minutes, man. Have you gone deaf or something?" Roy asked jokingly, giving Richard a friendly punch in the shoulder.

"Sorry," Richard said, his voice cracking in an attempt to sound dignified. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and relaxed his shoulders, leaning back with a devil-may-care attitude that came strangely easily with him. Outwardly, Richard Grayson was the epitome of cool, but on the inside, he was a pile of love-struck mush, avoiding Kory's face lest he see her glossy lips and wonder, for the hundredth time since he met her, if they tasted as sweet as they did in his dreams--

_Out of the gutter, Grayson_, he thought with a deep breath, stopping his thoughts cold. _Be cool._Damn it_, what the hell is wrong with me?_

_Oh, you know what's wrong, _a second voice in his head taunted slyly, sounding frighteningly like Bruce Wayne. _You love her._

_Shut up, _Richard thought, feeling slightly humiliated at talking to himself. _I can't. I won't. _

"Are you…uhm, _o-kay_?" Kory said hesitantly, looking into his face intently, as if she could determine what was wrong just by staring into his eyes.

Forcing his eyes away from her adorably pouted lips, Richard leaned away and grunted, "I'm fine."

"Glad you could make it, man," Roy said happily, turning to stand beside him to look over at the crowded ballroom, his expression _very_ pleased. "Isn't this great?"

"I didn't know you'd make this into one of your…_big_ parties, Roy," Richard muttered with a sigh, making sure to avoid Kory's sparkling emerald eyes. "Have you been outside? Reporters and screaming fan girls everywhere. It's a circus out there."

"I, too, am not accustomed to this…sort of gathering," Kory murmured, giving him a comforting smile.

_Say something! _Richard's mind screamed. _She's trying to start a conversation. _

He opened his mouth, but Roy guffawed and clapped Richard hard in the back. "Well, what do you two expect?" he said, amused. "I've got one hundred of the biggest celebrity A-Listers here in one room…of_course_ there'd be media!"

"Yes, but Roy," Kory said softly, taking her fiance's hand, "I had anticipated a smaller assemblage. Perhaps…close family and friends."

"Yeah," Richard agreed, feeling his ears burn as Kory shot him a grateful look.

"Honey, it's all about business," Roy said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

She shot him a confused look. "But Roy," she said quickly, firmly, "I was led to believe that this was an affair in commemoration of our engagement! Not--not a…"

"It _is_, darling Kory," Roy said gently, tightening his embrace. "But look, where do you think all these people are going to stay for the night? The Harper Hotels, of course! Our check-in percentage just went up fifty percent, honey! Isn't that great?" he added, his excitement evident in his voice.

Kory stared at him for a moment, then broke into a smile that Richard couldn't help but notice was just a tad bit forced. "Of course, Roy, dear," she said. "I am…overjoyed at your success."

"_Our_success, Kory," Roy corrected triumphantly, hugging his fiance to his chest.

"_Our_success" Richard heard the girl whisper as she stared out into crowded ballroom, and he wondered, vaguely, whether this was what she truly wanted.

_Why, Richard? Think you could offer her more? Better?__What do _you_ have that Roy doesn't? _There was that voice again.

"Nothing," Richard said.

"What was that, man?" Roy said distractedly, his gaze still out over the room.

"Uh…didn't say anything," he answered, tightening his jaw in an attempt to push down the blush that had begun to creep up his neck. He hadn't realized he had spoken out loud. What was it about this girl, that opened Richard so wide that he'd begun to wear his heart on his sleeve? A big no-no, that was. Not for someone like him. Not for Richard Grayson, heir to Wayne Enterprises, who was supposed to be cool as ice every moment of the day.

Kory studied him for a moment, but before she could voice her thoughts, Roy's cellphone rang shrilly. "Damn it," Roy muttered, letting go of Kory to reach into his jacket pocket for the tiny black device. "Andrew?" he said into the phone, his voice just below a yell. "Hold on." He covered the mouthpiece with a palm and looked over at Kory and Richard, who stood watching him. "Hey, listen Rich," he said, tilting his head in a quick nod, "dance with Kory for me while I take this call, okay? That alright, babe?"

Richard blanched. _Oh, shit._

"But Roy," Kory argued gently, "it was _you_ who had promised me a dance this night."

_Oh, yes, Roy. It's _your_ job. _Richard paused, and glanced at the exotic beauty beside him, wearing the same glossy pout and the wide green eyes. _Then again…_"I really don't mind," Richard spoke up, the words already out of his mouth before he could comprehend what he'd said.

Kory turned to him rather quickly, slight surprise in her eyes. "While I certainly do not question Friend Richard's ability to dance, of course," she said carefully, "I would truly like to--"

Richard couldn't help but feel slightly put-out.

"I'll just be a little while, babe," Roy said quickly, leaning down to give Kory a swift kiss on the lips before starting off into a far corner of the room, his voice already raised above normal 'indoor voice.' "Close the damn deal, Andrew! I don't want _any_ Hilton Hotels within a three mile radius of Gotham, do you hear me?"

"Care to dance?" Richard said after a few moments, just to break the uncomfortable silence and, perhaps more importantly, the mounting tension between the two. The DJ had begun to play a refreshingly slow song, and the crowd began to break off into couples. The lights dimmed, and serene blue spotlights began to sweep the floor. While the rational side of him screamed of the danger sure to come from slow-dancing with her, the love sick part of his mind (or perhaps, his heart?) pushed those thoughts away and concentrated on his desire to feel her in his arms, even though it will be the first, and undoubtedly the last time they will ever stand together in this way.

She was, after all, not his.

"I--of course," Kory said hesitantly, before placing her hand over his with a weak smile.

Richard exhaled sharply as a shock ran up his arm from the warmth of her soft hands, reminding him of a not-so-distant memory in which her entire body had been stretched atop his, her lips so close that he'd felt her breath across his cheek…

He brought her towards the middle of the dance floor and pulled her gently towards him, his hand on the small of her bare back. The smell of her intoxicated him, constricting his breathing, and as he moved to the melody of the love song, he determined that her hair smelled of strawberries, and another berry he couldn't quite name. Raspberries, perhaps? She stared pointedly at the lapel of his suit jacket, and while she occupied herself from looking into his eyes, he studied her. The delicate shape of her nose and chin, her slightly pursed lips, her almost unnaturally bright green eyes…they all brought forth something in Richard he'd never felt before. Her gentleness touched him, her voice was like honey to his ears, and her speech, strangely polite as it was, denoted intelligence and consciousness of others. She was soft and kind, and almost naively honest.

"Do forgive me," Kory said unhappily, her head down. "Sometimes…sometimes my mouth runs off without my meaning it to, and I had not intended to seem ungrateful, or that I had not desired to dance with you--"

"But you wanted to dance with Roy. I understand."

She shook her head. "I had not danced with him at all this night. Did you know--his _cellular_ phone had tolled like a bell many a time since we arrived!" she blurted out, blushing adorably at her own forwardness. "I had not passed a moment alone with him at all, and I do wish I could dance with him."

"Yeah," he said softly, his expression carefully indifferent. "At your own engagement party, too."

"Yes, precisely!" she said, her gratitude for being understood shining in her eyes. She fell silent, before saying softly, "I had not wished for a large gathering at all. But…if Roy wishes it…" Her hand tightened around his, and she let her head fall on his shoulder and a sigh escape her lips.

Richard stiffened. So much so that Kory raised her head and gazed quizzically at him. "Richard..?"

_Bad, bad, bad. This is bad. Damn those eyes, they'll be the death of me…_

He dropped her hand and stepped quickly away from her, evading her eyes . He bowed rigidly and grunted, "Listen, Roy looks about done. I'm gonna have to go."

"Oh, I--"

"Sorry," he said, turning away, hating himself more the farther he walked, brutally leaving her speechless the second time that week. _Is unhappiness so difficult to attain?_ he wondered, ascending the staircase and onto the balcony. He found a bench just behind the balcony railing, where he could watch the people in the ballroom but have them see him with difficulty. He watched as Kory was approached by Roy, who was enthusiastically retelling some sort of story. _Most likely a closed deal_, Richard thought bitterly. Roy had completely disregarded the tired look that flashed in Kory's eyes. Despite her obvious exhaustion, she had grinned up at him and hugged him tightly, no doubt congratulating him for his success._Their _success.

"Do you love him?" a female voice beside him piped up before a slender body clad in a shimmering black dress plopped itself down beside him.

"What?" Richard exclaimed incredulously, turning to the violet-haired girl who had decided to join him.

Raven Roth grasped the back of the bench with her palms and rocked back on them, the high slit on her dress revealing a set of pale legs crossed daintily at the knees. "I _asked_, Dick, if you _loved him. _You're studying him so intently just now, and I wondered," her voice flat but her mouth quirking.

"Raven," he sighed. She was another one of his closest friends, perhaps his even his very best. She was like an older sister to him, watching out for him and warning him against the wrong crowd, the wrong girls, ever since they were young. As of late, however, she had been absent from his life after she had left Gotham after a disagreement with her father. The ruthless businessman Trigon Roth, who was Raven's only living relative, was busted for drug dealing three years ago, but not before the Roth fortune was drained because of his dangerous habits. Raven abandoned his father a few years before his demise, and made her own name as a painter and best-selling novelist, specializing in thrillers and mysteries. She was another figure he admired; steadfast, independent, and knows exactly what she wants. Well, almost.

"I'm not gay, I promise."

Raven shrugged and crossed her arms. "Then _what_ were you staring at then?" she said, giving him a frustratingly knowing look.

"Nothing."

"Bull. Don't lie to me, Dick," she said monotonously. "I've known you for…what? Twenty years now? I've seen you fall in love, break hearts, get _your_ heart broken…"

Richard stared at the chandelier above them, which brightened suddenly as the music once again turned into a fast one. Raven was frightfully in tune with other people's feelings, if not particularly with her own. He'd run to her for advice for many an occasion, and was his most trusted friend. She, on the other hand, was dangerously self-destructive when they were school-aged, and there was a time when Richard was her _only_ friend in their unrelenting, unsympathetic world of masks, duplicitous words, and abusive doped-up fathers.

"Richard, look at me."

He lowered his gaze into her violet eyes, shining with simple love for him. It wasn't the love he sought for now, but the simple, pure kind that lingered from their childhood. Difficult to recall, but resurfaced at the moments when they were needed most, when life became too heavy a burden. It was that kind of love he saw in Raven's eyes now, and he felt a quiet burst of affection for her deep inside of him. He wanted to take her into his arms and crush her to his chest, perhaps share a plateful of chocolate-chip cookies with her, as they often did when they were kids. Instead, he pulled her gently to him and closed his eyes as he pressed his forehead against hers, having to lean down quite a bit to reach her own.

A gentle, comfortable silence reigned before she murmured, "Don't beat yourself up too much."

"Hm?"

"Falling in love isn't supposed to be so painful," she clarified, pulling away as she gave an uncharacteristically gentle smile. She stood up and looked over at the ballroom, specifically at a particular couple dancing wildly against the fast-paced music. "She's special," she commented rather thoughtfully.

"I know," Richard said, before he could stop himself.

Raven's smile widened, her eyes still on the dance floor. "Hmm. Maybe…" she trailed off, her expression thoughtful.

"Maybe what?"

She didn't answer. She was silent for so long that Richard thought that perhaps she hadn't heard, because of the music that continued to blare out into the room. But finally, she said, cryptically, "Life has a strange way of turning out. You know that, Richard."

"Yeah," he answered, not quite knowing what she was talking about, but trusting, wholeheartedly, in her ability to see things that other people could not. She started down the stairs, but before she could reach the bottom, she stopped and turned, her eyes glinting with unusual mischief and unbridled joy.

"Garfield Logan," she said simply.

Richard raised an eyebrow. "Your boyfriend, yeah. What about him." Richard was still rather protective about her and boys - er, men she dated, a brotherly responsibility he'd bestowed on himself ever since her father became a drug addict.

"I think," she said almost girlishly, a tinge of pink appearing on her cheeks as she clasped her hands behind her back, "I think he's going to propose. Soon."

Richard leapt from his seat, and stared down at her. "He--he what!" he exclaimed. Raven threw back her head and laughed, and uncharacteristically skipped down the rest of the steps and into the crowd. Richard stood staring at where she had stood, his mouth agape. Then, he let himself out into the foyer and maneuvered himself into the kitchen, where the cooks bustled about without giving him a second glance. Harper Manor, after all, was like a second home to him. He flipped open his cell phone and called Norman to bring the car out back, where the cooks helped him sneak out of the back door and onto the back driveway, where he met up with Norman and proceeded home.

He was determined, before he even came to this party, that he'd return home with a memory he could go to bed happy with. Armed with that memory, he climbed into bed and dreamed of the simple times, when he was young and everything was easy and true, when love was professed in the form of handmade, heart-shaped cards, and masks did not exceed those of the paper kind, meant to amuse instead of deceive.

* * *

WOW. Wasn't _that _a long one! lol. I got so much inspiration for this chapter that I typed until about 12:30 in the morning. The words were just flowing through my fingertips and I just loved it so much I prayed that I would never have another writer's block ever! But hey, those can't be avoided I guess…don't worry though, my muse hasn't left me yet, and the next chapter will be quick in coming! I would have written next chapter's scene in here, but I had to end somewhere. ;; Even then, I feel like this one's the best chapter I've ever written, though I could be wrong..? Let me know what you think, and I'll give you a virtual hug, eh?

I _finally_found Bumblebee's real name. Apparently it's Karen Beecher, and of course I made her Vic Stone's girlfriend here. MUAHA. And speaking of names, I'm perfectly aware that it's _Kitten_, not_Kitty, _but I just think Kitty's easier on the tongue, if that makes sense.

As always, comments and constructive criticism _very_ much appreciated. :HUG:

Love Always and God Bless, Jo


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N** - As some of you smart ones (ahem, Somekindafreaky and RobinluvsStar…kudos, guys! You both get a cookie) already figured out, this fic is _very _loosely based on one of the plotlines from the movie _Love Actually_. It's such a great movie (great dialogue), starring so many of the biggest British actors ever. Why Maggie Smith isn't it, I'll never know. lol. In fact, this whole fic was inspired by one of the scenes in the movie, which will be loosely reenacted in the next chapter.

Did I mention I was a sucker for romantic comedies? Well, I am, and I'm thinking of writing a lot more AUs based on (well, more _inspired_by) my favorite movies, Jojo style. :snickers evilly: MORE ROBIN TORTURE! I was thinking about remaking _My Best Friend's Wedding_, but hey, I'm just brainstorming here.

And if you didn't know, the title was inspired by a Frank Sinatra song by the same name. You should take a look at the lyrics, they're just too sweet.)

Okay, okay, I'll shut up so you can enjoy the fic. Enjoy! Love, Jolyn

**Lil' LIK Star **- Yay! I'm glad you liked it! I love happy endings, but I'll let my characters decide where they want to go. That's how I work, I suppose. Hee hee. Thanks for the comment!  
**Girl of Darkness **- Ohh Raven, she's such a know-it-all. Hahaha. Who knows what she's thinking? I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long for this one!  
**Jadedea** - Aaww, you're so sweet:glomp: Your comments always manage to make me smile, thanks!  
**Tammy Tamborine **- Hey! I love your username, hehe. Thanks for the comment!  
**Bree2006** - Aaww, thanks for the comment! I hope this one doesn't disappoint! Hee hee…  
**Samanthe2121** - Raven sort of got his mind off more stressful things by reminding him of their childhood, and managed to _really_ cheer him up by telling him that Gar proposed. Yay, Raven! Hehe, thanks for the comment!  
**Angelina** - Thanks sooo much! Make sure to tell me what you think about this chapter, too!  
**Strodgfrgf** - You're just way too nice…hey, what about this. If I get a hundred reviews, I'll dedicate a chapter to you. Hee hee, how's that sound? Yay:D  
**SuperrachiE **- Ssshhh, you'll give it away! Haha…you're making me feel like a spy. We should infiltrate Teen Titans writers' headquarters and make them write more RobStar fluff!  
**Xox.Annie Potter.xox **- Ohh your comments always manage to make me smile! You always seem to get what my chapter is all about. Yay for you! Hehe…Oh, you're a fan of HP, right? Did you finish the 6th book yet? AHH IT'S SO SAD.  
**April4rmH-town**- Yay, April's a member! Thanks for the comment! I'm so proud of myself, I actually got this chapter out pretty fast.  
**RobinStarfire **- Ohh thanks so much! I'm glad you've liked my story, hope you like this one, too! Thanks for the comment!  
**Thugette90** - Yeah, that SN is for AIM…and you seem rad, too :HUG: I'm sorry this chapter won't be as long as the last one, but the next chapter should be soon in coming! Yeah, I love Speedy, but he's just the prime target in RobStarSpeedy triangles…haha. Oh well, as long as Robin and Starfire get together…  
**RobinluvsStar**- Yeah, Roy's definitely too business savvy. As for Kory's feelings…well I actually thought of switching POVs after reading your comment since I've been thinking about that too, but I decided to just keep itin Richard's to keep the consistency. We will, however, know more about Kory's feelings in the next chapter, so don't you worry! Ohhh, I'm so glad someone caught the Love Actually thing…this story's actually loosely based on one of the plotlines from that movie. Next chapter will have _tons _of references!  
**Mr. Rogers **- Thanks so much! I appreciate the compliment!  
**MyMonkeyIsOrange** - Your username is just too cool. Hehe. Thanks for the comment! Hope you like this chapter, too!  
**Somekindafreaky** - I'm so pleased you caught the Love Actually reference! Like I said to RobinluvsStar, this fic's sort of based on it, and the next chapter is inspired by one of the scenes in the movie. I'm so glad you liked my fic, and I am positively _in love_ with Christmasing With You…it's definitely one of the best fics out there; very inspiring. Robin is just too adorable in it!  
**Hopeless Romantic **- Hi there! Aaww, readers' comments always make _me_ feel warm and fuzzy, and the least I could do is answer back. Thank you _so _much for those compliments, they really mean a lot. I've always dreamed of being a writer someday. Hope you like this chapter!

* * *

**Strangers in the Night: Chapter 4**

"Master Dick, you made page three," Alfred droned, subtly amused, as he placed a folded newspaper on the breakfast table at Richard's elbow.

Richard dropped his fork and pulled it open, revealing a full-page account on the Harper-Anders engagement party. While there were no media allowed inside the Harper Manor, they still managed to have a full attendance list and almost as much detail about the guests' clothing as the Oscar's. The middle of the page had a full-length picture of Roy and Kory arm-in-arm, Roy with an easy grin and his hand raised in a wave while Kory had her eyes on the red carpet, avoiding the flashing camera lights. Richard swallowed a lump in his throat and forced his eyes to the lower left-hand corner of the page, where two smaller pictures sat side-by-side. The first one had Kitty hassling a distressed reporter and, beside her, an impossibly calm Richard prying them apart. The second had an obviously intoxicated Kitty arm-in-arm with the equally drunk lead singer of Punk Rocket, an infamous rock metal band from Metropolis. The headline announced: GRAYSON PLAYMATE LEAVES WITH PUNK ROCKET SINGER.

"Playmate? That's new," Richard snorted sarcastically as he snapped the paper close and pushed it aside, instantly dismissing it from his attention. "Well, at least she got a ride home," he added, flatly indifferent.

Alfred gave a sudden, but politely stifled cough, which sounded suspiciously like a covered-up chortle.

"So anyway," Richard said, choosing to ignore Alfred's outburst. He took a sip of his black coffee. "What do I have for today?"

Alfred cleared his throat and read off a big, fat planner, "Wayne Enterprises corporate meeting from ten to one…"

Richard groaned.

"…but you've got the rest of the day free."

"Huh, well. Seems like Bruce felt forgiving today."

--

The sky tore open the moment Richard stepped out of Wayne Enterprises that afternoon, drenching him almost instantly in ice-cold rain. He stopped and glared at the blackened clouds as people darted past him, shielding their heads with whatever they could find. Not even trying to bother, Richard stepped off the sidewalk and into the backseat of his car, holding up a halting hand as Norman started to scramble out the driver's seat with an umbrella in his fist.

"Bad day at the office, Master Dick?"

"You have no idea, Norman," Richard answered automatically as the older man started up the engine. Richard leaned back, undoing his tie and shrugging off his long, black coat, frowning at the deja vu. The utter monotony and dreary uniformity of his everyday life bored him to death, and he wished, as he often did, that this life was not his.

That corporate meeting tested the limits of Richard's patience. The business jargon went through one ear and out the other, the words running into and over each other until Richard felt like Charlie Brown, sitting in an elementary school classroom with the teacher mouthing off nothing but nasally "mwahh mwahhhs." _Then_ the people at the round table decided to argue. He sat through it for six solid minutes (yes, he was counting) trying to put a word in to resolve it, but was rewarded by more arguing for his pains. No one in Wayne Enterprises dared to argue with Richard Grayson (or the more, Bruce Wayne), and simply argued among themselves to get a point across. It wasn't until Richard coolly threatened to give Bruce a call that his managers settled down enough to get some work done. That didn't mean they hadn't fumed silently the entire rest of the time.

And, what's more…

He couldn't get _her_ out of his mind. The memory of her held fast in his mind's eye, lingering on the edges of propositions and contracts to sign, coming to mind at every flash of red hair and exposed limbs (provided mostly by his exasperatingly flirtatious secretary). But every thought of her was followed by excruciating guilt as he remembered Roy, whose name was quickly and unavoidably coupled with hers.

It was then that Richard realized that he had become surpassingly messed up.

He closed his eyes, willing the thoughts of her away, especially those of her enchanting emerald greens, or that dangerously titillating hourglass of a figure--

"Master Richard," Norman piped up, his voice revealing slight surprise and confusion, "is that not Master Roy's fiance? Ms. Kory?"

Richard practically flew at the window, pressing his forehead against the glass as his eyebrows furrowed. The flaming red hair, brilliant even in the soaking rainstorm, was a dead giveaway. The petite girl shivering in the middle of the sidewalk, in the pouring rain, was indeed Kory Anders.

"Yeah," Richard said, his tone filled with perplexity and nervous affection. "Pull over will you?"

Norman brought the car into a smooth curve to rest against the sidewalk, and Richard wasted no time in pushing the door open to find a drenched Kory staring wide-eyed at him.

"R-Richard!" she said, utterly surprised.

"Kory, what are you doing in the rain?" he said, inwardly flinching at his reprimanding tone. "Get in, you're soaked!"

She brought a shaking hand to push a lock of dripping red hair behind her ear. "Your leather seats…I-I will ruin them…"

Richard shook his head. "You'll get sick out there." He coughed, disguising the affection that laced his words. "Please, for my own peace of mind."

"I-I thank you," Kory murmured, glancing at him as Richard slid further into the car to give her room. He felt a jolt of electricity turn his stomach at that one glance, and he had to swallow with difficulty before attempting to speak again.

"Norman, let's go home," Richard said as Kory closed the door behind her. "Wayne Manor is only a few blocks away," he told the girl beside him, deliberately avoiding those wide green orbs. "I'll have someone dry your clothes, and then Norman can take you home."

Kory flushed, and Richard wanted to strangle himself. Why can't he make his voice sound a little more gentle? Now she thought he wanted to get rid of her as soon as he could.

"I am…sorry for the trouble," the girl said softly, sniffling.

Richard glanced at her, then quickly turned away as his ears turned hot. She was once again wearing the knee-length tan jacket, but the short skirt she was wearing proved that she, along with the rest of the city, was caught unawares by the sudden storm. The provocatively short skirt clung to her thighs, hitching up considerably as she shifted in her seat. The v-necked sweater she was wearing was utterly soaked, sticking to her like second skin. He could see the outline of her bra, and he couldn't help but stare at the sloping line of her neck and the smooth skin of her legs…

He resisted the urge to kick himself. To forced his eyes away and glanced up at the rear view mirror, where he saw a bad-tempered scowl etched upon his own face. He glanced at his companion's reflection, and was horrified to find her watching him with a red-faced look of near-tears. _Dammit_, he thought. Now she thought he was upset at her.

"What happened?" he said after a moment of awkward silence, schooling his face. "Why were you out there, all by yourself, without even an umbrella?"

She turned to him quickly, and he was surprised to see anger swirling in the depths of her eyes. "I wish you would not mock me!" she said rather suddenly, fury in her tone. "I do not know why you dislike me so," she went on as Richard gaped at her in speechless shock, her tone quickly changing to profound distress, "but you most certainly do, and if you really must know, I had been expecting Roy, but he must have been so very busy and forgot all about me, and then you arrive instead of him and I am causing you so much trouble and--STOP THE CAR!"

The Rolls Royce screeched to a halt, and Kory, whose voice had risen in pitch and volume as she babbled, instantly burst into tears.

"Kory, I--" Richard stuttered, appalled at himself but not knowing how to fix anything. "Kory, please, I didn't--"

Too late. She opened the car door and stumbled into the downpour outside, splashing away into the gathering darkness with her tears mingling with the rain.

Richard sat gaping out at the driving rain, a hand frozen in the air. It had been an attempt to stop Kory from leaving, but once again, it had been too little, too late. She hated him now.

"Master Dick...?" Norman said carefully, staring at the young man through the rear view mirror. His gray eyes were soft with concern.

Richard slowly pulled the car door shut and slumped into the leather seats. "Norman," he muttered miserably as he felt his heart drop to the bottom of his stomach, "Let's go home."

--

A knock sounded at the door, and Richard dismally rolled over in his bed and sandwiched his head between two goose-feather pillows. "Alfred, please," he croaked, "I don't want any tea, okay?"

"Hot chocolate, then," said a voice quite unlike Alfred's before the door to Richard's bedroom swung open. Bruce Wayne strolled in quite regally, looking perfectly sleek and debonair, as usual. Richard burrowed under the covers, shame at his unkempt appearance adding on to his misery. He realized that he hadn't changed since that day when…well, since _then._

"Bruce, go away."

He heard porcelain meet the side table beside his head._ Hot chocolate_, he thought vaguely, the calm normality of it intensifying his nasty feelings. If everything around him mirrored his emotions, the world would be in war and turmoil. Richard felt his mattress dip as Bruce sat on the edge of his bed, humming a tune from what Richard recognized as Madame Butterfly. "Bruce, _go away_," Richard repeated, anger rising to his throat.

"Hold you anger, Dick," Bruce said instantly, his voice hard. "I will not tolerate resentment you feel for yourself."

Always the disciplinarian, ever since Richard was small. He held his tongue, seething under his covers.

"Now," Bruce went on, his voice back to the usual calm cheeriness. "You haven't been out of your room for almost two straight days. I want to know why."

Richard clenched his eyes shut. "I really don't want to talk about it," he said flatly, stifling a desolate groan as he resisted smashing his head into the headboard.

"Then at least get out of bed," Bruce said, inspecting his fingernails. "What will people say when they find out that the Prince of Gotham is hiding under his covers like a child?"

"I don't care!" Richard said, throwing down the sheets and immediately hating himself for sounding like the child Bruce accused him of being. "I never asked for any of this, Bruce! I never…I never_asked_ to be--to be the_Prince of Gotham_!" he spat, rolling over so his back was to his surrogate father.

"You're right," Bruce said quietly, gently. "But that's not what's upsetting you."

"No," Richard mumbled, his voice muffled. He shut his eyes, feeling bile rise to his throat as nauseating heartbreak threatened to make him shed a tear. A pause, then…"She hates me."

"Hm. Kory Anders, I believe." It wasn't a question.

Richard lifted his head groggily to look at him. "How do you know?"

"Norman told me about what happened the other day."

Richard turned away and dropped his head back onto his pillows.

"Hm," Bruce said again after a moment. "It seems to me as if you _love_ her, Dick."

Richard stiffened unconsciously. "I shouldn't," he muttered before he could stop himself.

"No? Why not?" Bruce asked, his eyebrow raised in almost feigned surprise.

Richard snorted halfheartedly. "She happens to be my best friend's fiancé, Bruce."

"That could be a problem," Bruce said, mock thoughtfully. "You know, I could just have Roy murdered."

Richard's head snapped up, but Bruce was smiling slightly. Bruce got to his feet and crossed to the window, where he stood with his hands clasped behind his straight back and his feet planted slightly apart.

_He looks like a king_, Richard thought. _The King of Gotham._

"Don't push her away, Dick," Bruce said quietly after a minute. Richard couldn't be sure, but he sensed a hint of…sadness? irony? in his mentor's voice. "You're becoming too much like me."

"Bruce--"

"I know I'm not the best person to give you advice on love, given my…reputation," Bruce said, and Richard saw the glint of a small, ironic smile in the reflection in the window. "But embrace the love you feel for her. She might belong to another, but don't hide your love. At least, not from yourself. I made that mistake once before. Don't be like me, Dick. Don't push her away."

"Bruce…"

"And besides," Bruce continued, turning to him as he brushed the sympathy aside.

_Always the strong one,_ Richard thought, rare affection bubbling in his chest for the only family he's ever known.

"Besides…" Bruce fell silent, and Richard saw the same thoughtful expression on his face that was on Raven's not four days ago.

"Besides--what?"

Bruce studied him for a moment. "Don't mind the babble of an old man," Bruce said finally, shrugging, even though Richard knew he was barely pushing forty. "Now get out bed, drink your chocolate, and I want you down at breakfast in less than ten minutes," Bruce ordered as he started for the door. "Oh, and Richard," Bruce added as he was halfway out the door.

"Yeah, Bruce?"

"Change out of those clothes. You're starting to smell." And with those last parting words, Bruce left, leaving a grinning Richard in his wake.

* * *

Sorry it wasn't as long as the last chapter, guys. But Chapter 5 will be here soon. It's aaall written in my head...sort of. Next chapter, Kory confronts Richard. AAHH! _The Drama!_


	5. Chapter 5

**Bree-2006** - I'm glad you think so! Hope you like this one too. Thanks for the comment!  
**Illegally Blonde** - Hehe, here's the next chapter! Your enthusiasm is so very contagious! Hee hee…thanks for the comment!  
**Somekindafreaky** - I adore _Christmasing With You_…it's one of the very best fics I've read in a long time, and I'm just so honored that you're enjoying my fic. Ahh, Bruce and Raven are giving Richard hope too, he just can't figure out what the heck they're talking about just yet. Hee hee. (And, quite honestly, neither do I. Hahaha)  
**RobinluvsStar **- I'm glad you liked the last chapter :sigh: Oh, wasn't that so sweet, when he pretended to be a caroler to make that sweet little 'silent' speech? It was just so sad. We'll see about that happy ending, eh? Hee hee hee…;) Thanks so much for the comment!  
**Jadedea**- Oh, poor Richard! I'm glad you liked the last chapter, and I hope you like this one, too! Thanks for the comment!  
**April4rmH-town** - Oh, I _love_ the Notebook! That movie is definitely one of the best romance films ever. It was just so, so sad! It's so difficult to truly love and be loved to that extent. That movie was so beautiful, and you're giving me ideas! Hehehe…:rubs hands evilly:  
**Samanthe2121**- Yay! Glad you liked! Thanks for the comment!  
**Angelina** - Ohh, thanks so much…that was such a great compliment. Hope you like this chapter, too!  
**Helplessly Romantic** - Yay! Glad you made an account. You are just too awesome. Thanks so much, I'll never forget all your encouragement. :glomp:  
**xox.Annie Potter.xox. - **Hehe, Bruce is another difficult character to write. I tried making him the Bruce Wayne I saw in Batman Begins; the outwardly spoiled, almost silly man that he tries to be in front of other people. But we all know he's a total deductive genius, and he knows more than he lets on. He's one smart man, that Bruce Wayne. AHHH, HP6 drove me _insane_. Eeww, HarryGinny…xP It was so cute when he kissed her at the Gryffindor party though, I have to admit. Haha. I loved Ron's reaction.  
**SuperrachiE **- HOOHAHAHA! Oh that was just too funny. I loved Cyborg's rendition of the theme song…he's just too _cute_! Eeep, we need to infiltrate headquarters soon! All that RobRae stuffs in the End episodes started to worry me..! Hehe, glad you liked the Bruce/Rich scene…it was my favorite, too.  
**Starrobin4eva**- Hee hee, glad I made you laugh! Thanks for the comment!  
**Girl of Darkness **- Ohhh JK Rowling is just too cruel! I just about _died_ when I read that part :cries: Ahh, glad you liked my fic, though! lol…  
**RobinStarfire** - Aaww, thanks for the comment! I hope this chapter answers some of your questions…hee hee hee. Hope you enjoy!  
**Strodgfrgf** - Yay! I'm so flattered. A hundred reviews, and you've got a chapter all to yourself! It's the very _least_ I could do for all your awesome encouragement.  
**Tammy Tamborine** - Glad you liked! Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long!  
**SweetnWeird** - Ohhhhh, I just _love _you:EXTRA HUGE GLOMP: That was the absolute _cutest, funniest _review I've ever, ever received, and I thank you so very much for it! Someone _please_ give this girl popcorn, soda, _and_ a big tub of vanilla ice cream with all the hot fudge she wants, complete with the cherry and the rainbow sprinkles, because she sure as heck deserves it! In fact, make that _two_! It's still got me laughing. I'm just so flattered that my writing has affected someone in this way…you've just made a dream of mine come true. :to my worker elves: Hey, where's that vanilla hot fudge sundae? Quickly now, she's waiting! Don't you worry, SweetnWeird, we'll get those sundaes to you ASAP. Thank you sooo sooo much for that awesome review. It just made my week, it did! I just loved how insightful it was. And I love craziness, not to mention wackiness. xD

* * *

**Strangers in the Night: Chapter 5**

Breakfast with Bruce was a rarity, and in the infrequent occasion that they _did_ start the day together….well, let's just say it was usually a painful experience. But today…

Today was different.

The biting comments and the retorts meant to annoy were still present, but Bruce had revealed something in himself earlier in Richard's bedroom, and Richard couldn't shake the almost childlike feeling stirring within him. Bruce had once been his hero; unshakable, gigantic, _true_. However, adulthood brings about the end of naivety and in its place, an eye for the flawed. It occurred to Richard, in his mid-teens, that Bruce was just another man, and had every imperfection that the title may imply. On the outside, Bruce was detached, self-centered, and almost uncaring…but before him, Richard saw another man, a man he once knew a long time ago. Richard have always known, in the very back of his mind, that Bruce had a good heart. He'd seen it sometimes, flickering in the older man's eyes when a young child thanked him for saving her orphanage, or when he thought he was alone in his office, reading a book of poems or staring out into a sunset.

Now he'd seen it again, in his room not an hour before. And Richard knew Bruce cared. Cared for _him_.

"What are you so happy about?" Bruce said, his flatly indifferent tone almost irritated. "You've been staring at me with that goofy smile on your face for the past five minutes."

Richard's smile just widened. "I'll hate you again tomorrow."

Bruce's eyes narrowed before he broke into an almost predatory grin. But now that he was watching for it, Richard didn't miss that rare flicker of affection. "I wouldn't have it any other way," Bruce returned gruffly.

It was then that Richard knew that he and Bruce had reached a strange level of understanding. They were like two predators neither completely at peace nor at war, knowing, though grudgingly, that one depends on the survival of the other.

--

Bruce left right after breakfast. Richard, finding his day entire day free to do whatever he wished, went down to the basement to have at that infernal red punching bag. And to think.

By now he'd accepted his love for Kory. He'd also accepted the fact that she could never be his. He'd seen the way she looks at Roy. The bliss was evident in her eyes, and if she's happy then…perhaps, Richard could be as well. And if _he_ couldn't have her, who better than his own best friend? Richard never felt happier for the both of them.

Richard pulled off his boxing gloves and sighed. It was time to move on. Time to find the girl he could love second-best.

"Master Dick?" It was Alfred over the intercom.

"Yeah?" Richard called, pulling his soaked shirt over his head and replacing it with a clean one.

"_A visitor in the sitting room for you."_

_Strange,_ Richard thought, wiping at his face with a towel. _Wasn't expecting anyone._

"Who is it?"

Richard practically heard Alfred hesitate. "Just a visitor who wishes to speak with you."

Just by that Richard should have known, but he was curiously blinded. Minutes later, impeccably clean in a cashmere sweater and jeans, he stepped into the lavish sitting room…and almost staggered to the floor._Kory Anders _was sitting primly on the cream couch, her back to him. She had her chin tilted up as she studied the intricate mosaic ceiling, which had been made to look like the God-creates-Adam painting in the Sistine Chapel.

_No!_Richard thought, his heart breaking all over again. _Not now…not when I've…_

As if she'd heard, Kory whipped her head around and leapt to her feet when she saw him. She had opened her mouth in a joyous greeting, but the happiness in her expression immediately disappeared at his openly crestfallen face.

"Oh, please, do not hate me!" she pleaded dismally, confusing his look of distressed heartbreak for a disgusted one. She ran up to him and clutched at his sleeve, her head shaking furiously. "I have to…to apologize for my _horrendous_ actions the day before last. I did not mean to be most ungrateful, I had just been so very upset and--"

"Hey, hey," Richard said as he held up his hands to stop her frantic outburst. He was strangely stirred. In his eyes, he'd been cruel to her that afternoon in the rainstorm, but here she was practically begging for _his_ forgiveness. "I'm just…having a bad day today. It's…it's really not you. Kory."

"Then…you forgive me?" Kory asked hopefully, pouting cutely as she stood on tiptoe to gaze into his eyes.

"I forgive you," Richard answered, stifling a slight smile which threatened to bloom into a full-fledged, idiotic grin despite himself. "I…uhm, I already have." What _was_ it about this girl that made him want to give her everything he _was_, as if it was only by giving all of himself that he could deserve such a gift…

But, no. This gift was not his to take.

Taking him completely by surprise, she lunged at him and threw her arms around his neck. "Glorious!" she exclaimed, pulling away only after he'd been properly squeezed into breathlessness. She tilted her head to the side and grinned, her ponytail bouncing. "Oh my," she said, her eyes suddenly revealing concern and her expression sobering. He was surprised to see her expressions change so quickly, her emotions expressed so openly. "You said you were having a…a 'bad day.' Is there anything I could do to turn the remainder of this diurnal course into a more pleasant one?"

_Yeah, I could think of a couple of ways…_Richard mentally chided himself for thinking such thoughts. _Bad Richard! _he thought, wincing inwardly.

He opened this mouth to answer in the negative instead, but before he could utter a single word, Kory began to absolutely glow and clapped her hands in unrepressed, almost childish joy. "I know!" she said excitedly. "I shall take you to the _fair_!"

"The fair?" Richard asked, his mouth quirking. "That would be…uh, I…" He cleared his throat, reminded suddenly of his place. "I'm really kind of busy right now, Kory," he lied, hating himself for being, once again, heartlessly cruel. _It's for the best_, he thought, steeling himself. "Maybe it would be better if you just--"

"Oh, oh please, Richard? Please?" Kory pleaded, standing on her tiptoes to once again grip his sweater sleeve. Her eyebrows were furrowed in frantic worriment, and her pink lips were once again pursed in that unconsciously inviting pout. "I _know_ we have…erm, _had_ a…a 'bad start,' but I truly am nice! Truly!" She let go of him to dart off to the couch she had recently vacated, where she pulled a large bulk from her bag. "I have even baked you a cake!" she blurted out, presenting the plastic-bagged object to him, her eyes searching for his approval.

She surprised him for the third time that day. Richard softened, and he was struck with the desire to take her into his arms and kiss her sadness away. Sadness, Richard realized, that _he_ had caused. "Oh, Kory," he murmured. "I know you're…that you're…of course we'll go to the fair," he said finally, not finding the heart to refuse her. Instead, he gave her the gentlest smile he could muster.

Kory grinned almost shyly, her nose and eyes already red. She sniffled slightly before saying, "Then you have become my friend?"

Richard tilted his head at her and widened his smile. "No way. We're _best_ friends now."

She giggled happily, and would have given him another bone-crushing hug if she hadn't remembered the cake she cradled in her arms. "Whoops," she said, blushing.

He studied the bulk between her hands interestedly. "You said you baked me a cake?"

"Yes, I have!" she said rather proudly, pulling it out of the plastic bag. She had wrapped it with aluminum foil, which she peeled back to reveal a rich cake, heavily coated in chocolate cream. "I hope you like chocolate?" she said shyly.

"Love it," he answered as she handed him a white plastic fork from the same plastic bag. They both dug into it at the same time, and he mirrored her as she bit into the first forkful.

Suddenly she gave a strangled sort of half snort, half gasp while Richard choked, pounding at his chest just to get that bite of rock-solid cake down his throat.

"It's…uhh…great, Kory," he lied, coughing slightly as he regained his breath.

"No, it is not!" Kory exclaimed, blushing. "It is horrible!" She placed the platter on a nearby table and stared at it wretchedly before staring down at her toes. "Oh, do forgive me!' she moaned. "I had not meant to poison you!"

He laughed heartily, catching her by surprise. "It's okay, Kory," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder. That almost familiar jolt of electricity jumped up Richard's arm, but this time he didn't pull away. "I promise."

She had bitten her lip, but broke into a brilliant smile at his words. Richard felt pride bubble within him. _Proud? Of what?_ he thought, feeling rather strange. Then, he realized, _I'm proud…because I made her smile._

"So…uhm, you wanted to go to the fair?" he asked, waiting for another one of those radiant smiles.

He wasn't disappointed. She grinned joyously and clapped her hands again, bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet. "You must wear a disguise," she said mock seriously. "Or else we shall have to run for our lives from your…uhm, _fan girls._"

Richard laughed. He'd had that same exact thought just a moment ago. Richard strode to a nearby closet and pulled out an old baseball cap, which he used to hide his unruly black locks. Then he drew a pair of dark sunglasses from his pocket and placed them on the bridge of his nose. "All set. What about you?" he asked. "You'll be recognized too, now."

She giggled before a putting on an equally ratty baseball cap on her red head, deftly pulling her long ponytail through the hole in the back. She removed a pair of black glasses from her bag and wiggled them at him before hiding her green eyes behind them. She raised her arms above her head and twirled on the spot. "Well? What do you think?"

Behind the cover of his sunglasses, Richard allowed himself to fully check her out. She was wearing a pair of hip-hugger jeans and a bulky college sweater (that, needless to say, did her slender form no justice whatsoever). With that hat on her head and the glasses, she would look like every other twenty-something college student out on a stroll at the park fair.

_A gorgeous, twenty-something college student with a killer figure,_Richard thought shamelessly. Resisting the urge to blush, he swallowed a lump in his throat and took a mock-scrutinizing stance, just to tease her. "You'll do," he said with a shrug, grinning teasingly. _You'll do _very_ well…_

Kory haughtily placed her hands on her hips and blew out her cheeks. "Oh, do come _on_, Richard!" she said, rolling her eyes in feigned annoyance. She grasped his hand and practically dragged him out the door, a determined look on her face. Richard laughed, his chest thudding curiously as he was once again reminded of that day barely a week ago, when he met a girl that would steal his heart in every way he hadn't even thought possible.

* * *

So sorry it was so short, but...Ohhh, it's _finally_time for the RobStar moments to be put in full swing! Well…sort of. I've got some good news…and some bad news. Good news is, the next chapter is just all RobStar, with as much fluff as I can manage without making Richard seem like a complete fiancé-stealer.

Bad news is…after the next chapter, I think the updates would be a little slow in coming, because I've realized that it's become totally necessary to actually do some planning (I've mentioned before that I started writing this without a definite plan), since we're_actually _approaching the end. Can you believe it? I've almost gone completely off my rocker. It won't be finished anytime soon, but I can see the very last scene very clearly. Problem is, I'm having trouble getting there. Basically, I'm suffering from writer's block. But no worries, my muse got me into this story, and she'll see me through it…somehow. lol. My inspiration comes in short, sudden bursts, you see.

Thank you so much for reading! And for those who've reviewed…well, you guys are just amazing.

As usual, comments and constructive criticisms _very_ much appreciated!


	6. Chapter 6

**Bree-2006** - Hee hee, I love park fairs. I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I hope you like this one as well. Thanks for commenting!  
**lil' LIK Star** - Haha, glad you liked it! Yes I know, I've been dying to write some RobStar moments for a while now. Hope you like!  
**April4rmH-town** - I adore the Notebook! I think I'll try writing such an intensely emotional fic when I'm a little better at this. lol. The kiss-in-the-rain in the movie was one of the best parts. I really think those two actors were at their bestin that scene…it was just beautiful. Ohh my, I can't choose a favorite fic! I've read so many good ones. I read a lot of Gundam Wing fan fiction too, and my favorite GW authors of all time are Zapenstap and the Black Rose. They're so amazing and inspiring. As for TT fics, my favorite author would probably be Princess Starfire of Tamaran. She writes amazing romance fics. A total inspiration!  
**Jadedea** - Thanks so much for the comment! I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long.  
**AnnMari123** - Hee hee, I adore fairs, so I thought I'd stick them in one, eh? Hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I did!  
**Neko Starfire** - Hi! Thanks for the lovely comment. It made me smile, hee hee. I DO have a kiss planned, but the question is, between who, and when? Hehe, I guess you'll have to read and find out! EEP :runs from flying fruit:  
**Sealeena** - So glad you liked! Hope I didn't take _too_ long on this chapter.  
**Tammy Tamborine** - Hey there! Hehe, thankfully, all the planning's done and I can_really_ get this show on the road. So excited! I appreciate not getting harassed, I've been so stressed out lately. I really wanted to get this fic out as soon as I could. Thanks for the comment!  
**Bluefirestar** - Hi! Thanks so much for your sweet comment. And thanks for the marshmallow idea! Tried it with chocolate bars and graham crackers, and BOOM! So much inspiration got dropped on my head, I nearly got a headache. My muse and I would like to thank you profusely for the suggestion! hehehe  
**RobinStarfire** - Aaww, thanks for the lovely comment! I'm so glad you love my story. I hope you like this chapter too!  
**SuperrachiE** - Robin and Raven will ALWAYS have a bro/sis relationship in my eyes, no matter HOW many times they hug! lol. Oh yes, there definitely were some RobStar cutesies thrown into the End eps, and those made me _very_ happy indeed. And did you see Star's face when Raven hugged Robin at the end of the End 3? The hug was cute, I admit it, but the look on Star's face was _hilarious_. Fangirls on mountain dew? Haha, that would be me. Glad you like my story!  
**Samanthe2121** - I'm glad you like it! Ohh absolutely, Rich is a _very_ nice guy. He's just not good at expressing his feelings, poor thing. Thanks for the comment!  
**Firefliez** - Yay! Yay! I'm glad you think my story's bloody brilliant, and your comment totally made me happy. Thanks very much!  
**Strodgfrgf** - Wow, I'm really happy you went and listened to the song AND saw the movie, too! Isn't the song so sweet? Frank Sinatra's just so soothing and…_classic_. AHH, I knowww! Love Actually can be so sad! As promised, this chapter is allll yours, love!  
**xox.Annie Potter.xox**- Aaww! Thank you so much! I really like all the Bruce-Robin scenes myself. Hehe. I'm glad you liked them too.  
**Morgan** - Glad you liked! You're totally right about Starfire…I think she's just the most difficult character to write, and it was a little hard trying to get her speech to match her personality just right. I'll definitely continue to work on her! Thanks so much for the prayers, they're always lovely to receive, and I very much appreciate them! I just depend on God to help me do as well as I possibly could.  
**Sugarland31** - hehe, Robin is just too cool for school. Thanks for the comment!  
**Lavender Gaia** - I'm so glad you liked the beginning of the last chapter. I love writing Bruce-and-Robin scenes. They're relationship is just a pleasure for me to write about. I hope I don't disappoint!  
**Helplessly Romantic** - I very much appreciate the encouragement! That comment totally helped me keep going. I managed to wake my muse up with bluefirestar's marshmallows, and I managed to squeeze some inspiration out of her! Look above at what I wrote for Neko Starfire for more on that kiss, eh:wink: Thanks so much for your support!  
**RobinluvsStar** - Thanks for understanding my having to plan. I feel a lot more confident about my story now, since I clearly know where I'm going and how I'm getting there. Sort of. lol. Yay! Oh, so happy! I have a self-proclaimed fan :glomp: Cookie for you, love!  
**Cheerful Oblivious** - hahaha! No waayy, the _exact_ plotline? I wish I could read it, it would probably give me tons of ideas! There are some really good RobStarSpeedy triangles out there, though I think Roy didn't have such a prominent role in the ones I've read…I think. So they're really just RobStars with Speedy thrown in to stir things up a little, hahaha! Thanks for liking the way I write, by the way. Hee hee. Poor Roy, he's always the bad guy. :tear: Poor thing, now he's known in the TT fan fiction world as the nasty little womanizer. I hope to do away with that stereotype, though. I really think he's a good guy. Thanks for the comment!  
**Briane** - Thanks so much! Your comment was short and sweet, and I loved it :grin:  
**Starrobin4eva** - hahaha, and I thought I was the only one who dreamt about cartoon/anime characters. Glad I'm not alone. I love downloading fan subbed anime, and I've seen so many that one time, I dreamed in subtitles. Isn't that insane? RobStar forever!  
**Thugette90** - Hey, Christi! How's life treating you? Hehe, just a teensy weensy bit of fluff in this chappie. Hope you like this one, too!  
**Illegally Blonde** - Hee hee, your wish is my command!  
**Somekindafreaky** - Hehehe, thanks so much for being so enthusiastic about my fic! It's very contagious. Hehe, oh that Richard. Can't control his thoughts, can he? Ohh, I hope you had fun over here...have you ever been to New York? CWY is such an amazing fic, very very inspiring. I adored your last chapter!  
**KorrianderX'Hal** - Yay! Thanks for the comment! Hope you like this chapter too.  
**MyMonkeyIsOrange** - haha, I love your username. And thanks for the nice comment. Enjoy!  
**orlifan4561** - Ohh I'm glad you liked Richard and Raven's relationship. I'm a complete RobStar shipper myself, and I can't see Raven and Robin ever being more than best friends. Thanks for suggesting I stick the other Titans back in, since I _have_ been thinking about how to put them in the story. We'll see a bit more of them in the next chapter. :wink:  
**Arainia** - Thanks so much for the lovely comment! I'm so flattered that you enjoy my writing. Eep, I'm afraid I can't answer some of your questions just yet, but they WILL be answered soon!  
**Gundam Girl 1** - Hey GG! I'm so honored that you liked my fic. Your stories are so inspiring! Upper Class and Sea of Emotion are two of my most favorite Gundam Wing fics on the market. Thanks so much for the nice comment, it made me think that maybe I'm doing something right. :)  
**jjangel9325232** - Hi! Thanks for liking the first chapter! My favorite scene was when Rich saves Kory from getting run over, hee hee.  
**eventidespirit** - :blushes: I'm so happy you're finding some of my fic funny. I'm not very good with humor. lol. I love how you're so observant, you've caught all the little ironic show references I stuck in there. I'm also glad that you thought Richard was believable...I confess that I found his emotions a little difficult to express. :sigh: He's not making it easy for me, but that's exactly how he is I guess. AND I'm glad you liked Lovefool. hehehe. You're making me one happy cookie today.  
**TeEn TiTaN 11** - haha, hi Jungleboy! RobStar forever and ever! Your new favorite story? Wow, I'm definitely flattered. Thanks for the comment!

**A/N**: Wow! You guys just spoil me with all those comments, thanks so much! My reviewers are what keep me going, and I don't know how to thank you all enough. I can't do much without you guys! Cookies anyone, cookies?

Okay, we've got a lot to cover. I'm taking a page out of Cheerful Oblivious's book and making a LIST. Muahaha!

1) All my plot-line planning is basically finished, and all I have to do is write out my chapters. From this point forward, I definitely know which direction I'm headed. I figured out that this fic will have between ten to fifteen chapters, depending on if a new bit of inspiration is dropped on my head. Thanks so much for everyone's support!

2) I wanted so so so badly to write fluff, but I _really_ had to keep it on a down low. --That's why I had to write that one-shot the other day. I loaded it with so much fluff it's drowned-- After the fast start in the beginning, I felt like I had to slow the development of their relationship just a _teensy_bit. But before you guys could start throwing the rotten fruit, hear me out! I _live_ for fluff, and the more I hold it off, the better it is in the end, right? Right? Anyone? eep.

3) Since I've gotten a few reviews asking for more Titans cameos, I've decided to listen and write a chapter with Beast Boy, a.k.a Garfield Logan, in it. That'll be next chapter, though. Hee.

And finally…

Since SitN Chapter 5 added on enough reviews for us to have a whopping 103 total reviews, **Strangers in the Night, Chapter 6 is dedicated to ****STRODGFRGF**I can't thank you enough for all your lovely, lovely support. You really helped push me to do my best to reach that 100-review goal. Thanks so much! Cookies and cake for Strodgfrgf!

And major hugs to everyone!

* * *

**Strangers in the Night: Chapter 6**

Richard never thought he'd ever have as much fun at the fair. Kory was as sweet and irresistible as spun sugar, and he couldn't get over how she was so much like sunshine; bright, warm, and cheery. He learned something new about her at every turn, and the more they talked, the more he loved her. She dragged him to do things he never thought he'd ever do after the age of thirteen, and he was surprised to find that he loved every minute of it.

"Want me to win you a bear?" he said after spotting a particularly huge, fluffy stuffed bear as a prize in a game. She looked over and cooed at the big brown bear with the violet bow around its neck, and that was more than enough motivation for Richard to do all he could to get it. It was a prize for one of those strength games, where the object of the game was to hit a platform hard enough for it to catapult a heavy dark ball high enough to hit a metal bell. It seemed to be a popular game, since cheering crowds would form whenever someone tried their luck.

"Bear coming right up," he muttered as he rubbed his hands together. He grabbed the giant mallet off the ground and took a few practice swings. Kory giggled at the readily expanding mass surrounding them, which included a hefty number of teenage girls who tittered behind their hands about the young man in the sunglasses, whose toned body was obvious even beneath the thick sweater. Richard gave a huff, then swung the wooden hammer over his head. He sent it crashing onto the platform so hard that his muscled arms shook with the effort, and it was shortly after that a bell rang shrilly across the fair grounds. A cheer went up in the crowd.

"Hey, that was the best I've ever seen!" said a man in a pinstriped hat. "Pick a prize, mister!"

"The bear with the purple bow for the lady," Richard announced with a glance at Kory, who was gracing him with a rather proud smile.

"Good choice, sir," the same man said cheerfully. He reached up and picked the bear off its hook on the makeshift wall, and presented it to the red haired girl beside Richard. To Richard's affectionate amusement, Kory crooned over it the moment it touched her hands. "One bear for the strong man's sweetheart," the old man added, an almost fatherly smile on his face at Kory's sweet glee.

Richard gulped. "Er--uhm, she's not my sweetheart," he said quickly, looking over at Kory. Fortunately, she hadn't heard since she was using the bear as a puppet to entertain a young boy at her feet.

The pinstriped man grinned slightly and gave a shrug, tipping his hat to Richard before turning away to advertise his ever-popular game. "Step right up ladies and gentlemen..!"

The crowd eventually trickled away, and a flushed Richard found himself quite alone with an exuberant Kory Anders.

"You really like it, huh?" Richard coughed, rubbing at the back of his head with an almost shy grin. _Very_ un-Richard-like. _What's happening to me?_

"I like it very much!" she answered, smiling gratefully as she hugged the bear to her cheek. "I adore the bow of the animal. Purple is my favorite color, just like Roy's."

_Roy's favorite color is purple? I thought it was red, _Richard thought vaguely, but dismissed the nonsensical thought and resisted glowering at the mention of Roy's name. He immediately felt the heavy fist of guilt crushing his innards, and sighed. She'd spoke of nothing else of Roy the entire afternoon, and seemed to think of him in every thing she saw at the fair.

--

"_Is this not lovely?" Starfire crooned as she caressed a long, silky sari hanging from a booth that sold cultural pieces. _

"_Yeah," Richard agreed. "Do you want one? I can get it for you."_

_She smiled at him in open gratitude, but shook her head. "I have quite a few," she explained happily. "The colors are delightful, are they not? Roy purchased a number of them for me when he brought me on a tour of Asia. India was one of our many stops, you see."_

"_Ah," was all Richard could say. _I could have taken her to India_, he thought bitterly, before a familiar wave of guilt washed over him._

--

And the same thing happened when Richard bought her a cup of Italian ices (which reminded her of the gourmet gelato she was served in a well-known Italian eatery in Venice), and again when Richard offered her a piece of his deep-fried chocolate bar (which reminded her of the box of the truffles Roy bought her while they were in Switzerland, which of course, were the best he could afford.).

"_He knows I love sweets, you see," _Kory had said, a sugary smile dimpling her cheek. _"He truly does spoil me."_

--

"Are you okay?" Richard asked, since Kory fell strangely silent as she embraced the bear to her chin. The innocent, almost childish sight of her with the toy in her arms made him want to crush her to his chest and protect her forever. She almost looked lost, and at that moment, Richard wanted nothing else in the world but to never see her hurt. "Kory?"

She looked up, her reverie broken, and she smiled rather cheerfully. "Do forgive me, Friend Richard," she said, her expression happy but her voice rueful. "I am most grateful for this gift," she murmured, burying her face in the bear's fur.

Richard was surprised. "Well, it's nothing like all those things Roy could buy you. Just a simple bear."

"But that is just it!" she exclaimed, her hair whipping around when she turned to him. "It is a simple and plain toy, but you have obtained it for me because we are friends. Sometimes…" she trailed off, her tone suddenly sad. "Sometimes Roy forgets. He buys things that are beautiful and expensive, but simply because they are thus. They may be exquisite, but they are, at the same time, meaningless. Sometimes I feel like a trophy, attained only to be adorned with his riches," she said, putting out her left hand. On her ring finger glittered three enormous, princess-cut diamonds, the meticulously cut facets emitting rainbows in the sunlight.

"Wow," Richard whistled, taking her hand to gaze into the stones. Richard Grayson was not a stranger to well-made jewelry, and he knew the ring on her hand was the best it could go. "Look at the size of that thing."

"I realize it is wrong for me to think this way," Kory murmured, practically deflating before his eyes. "I must sound most ungrateful."

"No, Kory," Richard said sadly, his eyes uncharacteristically soft beneath his sunglasses. "But you are wrong about one thing. Roy loves you. I should know, he's my best friend," Richard added, hating himself for defending Roy. _Why am I defending him?_ _He doesn't deserve her. He doesn't love her like I do. He doesn't…_

But Richard knew it wasn't true. He'd _seen_ the look in Roy's eyes. It was almost the same look he sees in Kory's eyes, and this realization made Richard's doubt and anger vanish, leaving a drained man. Suddenly, he felt very tired. "He loves you, Kory," he sighed. "He does."

Kory stared up at him, her mouth open in a gasp. He couldn't see her eyes through her dark glasses, but he knew she must have been close to tears. "Thank you," she whispered, and the tone of her voice sent his heart plummeting to his stomach, where that same intense desire for her happiness burned for an instant.

--

The rest of the outing was spent in the company of the chipper Kory, whose bear (whom she named Silkie for the material of its purple bow) was joined by more stuffed friends; a big white rabbit Richard won at a shooting game, and a green kitten Kory adored for its big, bright eyes. The latter Kory won herself when she tried her own luck at the strength game with the bell. Kory was as slender as she was tall, and Richard was surprised that she was also appreciably strong. She didn't quite manage to ring the bell, but the weighted ball rose a considerable number of feet above her head, and she succeeded in obtaining the smaller green cat.

Now they sat in the giant ferris wheel, the brightly colored cars shining gold in the light of the setting sun. It was a rather slow-moving one, meant to entertain the riders with the perfect view of the fireworks following nightfall. Kory was contentedly munching on a stick of bright pink cotton candy, and Richard watched her sun-haloed profile while pretending to admire the sun setting over the water.

"I am most grateful for this day, Friend Richard," she said as her tongue darted out to lick her fingertips. The innocent action made Richard's insides burn, and he felt his ears redden.

"Welcome," he forced out as she threw away the bare cotton candy stick and leaned back, smiling happily.

"I do apologize if I appeared rather…_forward_ earlier today," she said sheepishly. "I wished for you to be my friend, for I knew it would please Roy very much."

_Oh, of course. It always goes right back to Roy, _Richard thought bitterly. _Well, what did you think, Dick? That she just wanted to be with _you?

"You mean so very much to him," Kory added, instantly sending Richard spiraling into a flurry of guilt and self-loathing.

"Yeah," he murmured instead.

"I am so very excited for our wedding," she said quietly, her face soft with thoughtful joy. "Since I was a child, I have dreamed of a small wedding. The white dress, of course, with the groom waiting at the end of the aisle in a mighty church with stained glass windows," she recited, as if she'd known it for the longest time.

"That's beautiful," Richard said truthfully, meaning more than her vision.

"But," she murmured, sighing in stifled disappointment, "Roy desires a rather large wedding. I believe the guest list contains over five hundred persons, and more are being added each day. That does not even include the reporters and photographers that are _sure_ to be in attendance!" she added with a strange giggle.

Richard stared at her. "But Kory, if you want a small wedding…"

"Oh, no!" she said, smiling. "If Roy wishes a large affair, then I most happy to allow him one."

Richard said nothing, but watched her face shine with contentment. _She_really _loves him._

"Got your dress all ready?" he asked instead, adopting a lighter tone to mask his unease.

Kory turned to him and grinned conspiratorially. "Can you keep a secret? I am designing my own gown, just to my own liking."

"Designing it?" Richard repeated, surprise in his tone.

Kory nodded furiously. "I have been designing for many years. I have shared the responsibility of designing every Kam Anders clothing line with my sister since the beginning."

Richard stared at her, shocked into silence. Kam Anders was one of the top labels in fashion, and if he had the slightest inclination that her tone changed because of the falsehood of her words, he would have readily assumed she was lying. Her voice, however, kept its innocently cheerful air. Well, he supposed he'd always thought Kam was too shrewdly fierce to have designed the flowing, romantically feminine, almost airy pieces that the Anders label was famous for.

"She came out with a new summer line," was all he managed to say. "I think it's called 'Starfire.'"

Kory giggled. "It was to be my debut, but my sister is best at dealing with the 'celebrities,' and I believe I am not quite ready for it all," she said, looking adorably shy.

Richard didn't question Kam Anders'…abilities. She was infamous for her flirtatious charm and was notorious for her marketing genius. A good percentage of the actresses present in the last Oscar's alone wore an Anders piece. Unavoidably being two of the leaders of fashion, Bruce and Richard could not avoid dealing with the dangerously alluring Kam Anders. It was most likely through her that Roy met her younger sister Kory, but as Kam seemed to be more Roy's type, it briefly surprised Richard that Roy would go for the sweeter, quieter, more innocent Kory.

_Why would I be surprised?_ he thought affectionately. _Kory's perfect. She could claim to be an angel from heaven and no one would say a thing against her. _Richard could have slapped himself for being so cheesy, but tried insteadto focus on what Kory was telling him. "Sorry Kory, what?"

"I said I do not mind that she receives all the credit," Kory piped passively, but contentedly. "I design, and she markets our ideas. We make a beautiful team."

"Did you think of that name? Starfire?"

The redhead answered in the affirmative, looking rather pleased that he figured it out. "It was a nickname my parents bestowed upon me."

"It fits," Richard commented, smirking at her sunshiny persona and brilliant smile. With her flaming red hair and personal warmth, she could have very well been a star sprite.

"You're teasing me," she pouted good-naturedly.

"Am not," Richard retorted, ruffling her bangs in a brotherly way that almost pained him.

"Are too!" she returned laughingly, pushing at his shoulder.

"Ow!" Richard chortled before putting up his hands in mock-surrender. "I give up! You're way too much for me!"

She giggled before mellowing, a soft, almost sad expression on her face. "My parents called me Starfire very often. Even until their deaths, I was still their Star."

"Kory…" Richard murmured, his tone caressingly soft. "I'm so sorry." He sat silently for a moment before saying, "My parents died too, when I was small."

Kory reached over and tapped his hand, which he'd unconsciously curled into a tight fist. "Forgive me, Richard," she murmured sympathetically.

"Yeah," Richard said, fighting back tears. He forced a smile and said, "They were circus performers. We were called the Flying Graysons, and we were the best acrobats in Gotham. Metropolis, even!"

Kory smiled slightly at the lift in his voice. "What happened to them?"

"They--they…" Richard couldn't find his voice, and had to look away.

"You do not have to say," she said, her tone undemanding.

"No, I want to," he muttered, shaking his head. "It's been too long. Their ropes broke in the middle of a performance, and they fell to their deaths. I was right there, Kory! I stood and watched, and did nothing while my parents died in front of me. I could've--I should've been…"

She looked up at him and lifted away her glasses, where the look in her eyes was enough to constrict his breathing. "It is not your fault, Richard. It is not. You loved them very much," she said. It wasn't a question, and her tone was so filled with sympathetic surety that for once in his life, Richard felt _understood. _

"I couldn't go back to the circus," he continued, encouraged by her quiet understanding. "How could I? I can't stay in a place where my parents died. I had nowhere to go, and turning to a life of crime sounded really good right about then." Richard smiled ruefully, and the look of surprise on Kory's face was unmistakable.

"Oh, Richard," she murmured sadly.

Richard shrugged. "I've only tried to pick one pocket, and I didn't even succeed. Do you know whose wallet I tried to swipe?"

"Whose?"

"Bruce Wayne's." Richard laughed.

Kory bit her lip to stifle a giggle. "And that was when he took you in?"

"Yeah," Richard answered, his forehead creasing in thought. "I never knew why he'd adopt a kid right off the street. But he did, and he adopted _me_. I could never figure out why, but it kept me from the orphanages."

"Well, I am most glad," Kory said, smiling up at him. "And you love him as well."

Richard snorted, but said nothing. "I've never told anyone all of this before," he said after a moment. And it was true. He'd never felt less lonely than he did at that moment. "You're a good listener, Kory. Thanks."

"Thank you," she mumbled, her eyes shining with quiet sadness. "And you…you are the best listener I have ever encountered, Richard Grayson." She threw her arms around him as much as she was able in her position beside him, and buried her face in his shoulder.

Feeling rather torn, Richard lifted an arm and draped it loosely around her shoulders. He noticed, even through his confusion, that her every curve fit perfectly into him.

"I am most grateful that we are friends," she continued, her arms still around his torso.

"Best friends," he corrected through the lump in his throat.

He felt her smile into his sweater. "You shall be my big brother, and I shall be your little sister. Does not that sound…o-_kay_?"

"I concur," he murmured teasingly, earning him a light punch in the shoulder.

The sun had set completely, allowing for the nighttime. The full moon shone brightly in the cloudless fall night, the stars glittering clearly through the heavens. A loud explosion cut through the cool night air, and instantly a fountain of light burst from whistling rocket. Then another, then another, until the sky was filled with dozens of multicolored fireworks of every shape and size.

"It has started!" Kory cried, leaning forward as she clapped her hands, entranced by the lightshow that drew cheers from the crowd below. She was so absorbed that she hadn't noticed Richard watching her, his expression utterly crestfallen.

_A brother. That's all I'll ever be, huh Kory? Well…I could do that. I'll be anyone you want me to be. _

--

Richard took Kory home shortly following the fireworks display, and went home himself immediately after. He was pleased to see that he returned to a silent, sleeping mansion, though it did nothing to improve the profound loneliness inside of him. The big, brooding manor mirrored the chambers of his heart, empty and cold. He felt deeply fatigued and just wanted to lie down and sleep, but at the same time felt the desire to run far, far away, to the ends of the earth if need be.

He was standing in the middle of the marble foyer when the telephone rang. Shaken from his pondering, he rushed to answer it before it could wake Alfred or anyone else in the house.

"Hello? Wayne residence."

"_Dick!_" it was Raven's voice, and Richard felt his heart lighten considerably at the uncharacteristic shiver of joy in her tone. She was attempting to hide the emotion from leaking through her usually monotonous voice, but was rather unsuccessful. "Oh, Dick, you won't believe it."

"Raven, what? What is it?" Richard prompted, her excitement unavoidably contagious.

"It's Gar. He _proposed_, Richard. _I'm getting married!_"

* * *

As always, comments and constructive criticism very much appreciated.

Thanks, and God bless!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:**Hey guys! I'm so so so so sorry for the delay! I can't apologize enough for the long, long wait. This chapter has been killing me for the past month, and I had no idea what I wanted to do with it. Then I went on vacation to the Philippines, and I vowed I'd write on the plane, but this chapter was just out to get me. I guess my muse went on vacation too, that lazy bum! So, needless to say, this chapter isn't my favorite.

At least…Beast Boy's in it, right? Eh heh heh…ehh WAHHH!

Heard something before I left about stories getting deleted if you put up reviewer responses, so from now on those will be at the end of the chapter, just in case? Speaking of which, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH for the wonderful reviews! They're what keep me going! I would like to specifically thank **serpentslayer** and **RobinStarfire **for the encouragement…your constant reviews are what made me really push myself to finish this chapter. And don't you worry, this story is _far _from being abandoned.

:HUGS: to all!

* * *

**Strangers in the Night - Chapter 7**

"Is everyone getting married but me?" Richard complained good-naturedly from his sprawled position in a high-backed chair.

Raven, who was clad in a ridiculously frilly white wedding gown, spun away from the full-length mirror in front of her to study him with almost sympathetic eyes. Before she could speak, however, the man lounging in a similar chair beside Richard snorted and piped, "Dude, you sure you wanna go through with _this_ again?"

Garfield Logan, who was sporting a bright green spiked up 'do and black jeans, swept his slender arm around the Roth Manor sitting room with a roll of his eyes. Every corner of the room was hidden under racks and racks of wedding gowns in every color; short gowns, long gowns, wide gowns, narrow gowns, veils, hats, trains…

No matter how hard Raven wanted to forget her past, she was still Gotham's first princess and a grudging leader of fashion, and every designer in the country wanted a hand in her wedding. If _the_Raven Roth wears something of theirs, the label skyrockets to instant stardom. Thus the dozens of gowns the said designers had promptly sent over for her to try on.

Raven sent her fiancé a withering glare that he simply grinned away, and turned back to gag at her reflection in the mirror. "Do I _have_ to be in white?" she complained monotonously, looking utterly revolted.

Just to tease her, Richard waved his hand at a rack of dresses by the closest floor-length window. "There are pink ones over there, Rae," he said with suppressed laughter.

"Don't even joke," Raven muttered dangerously, fingering a spot of lace like they were a ball of worms.

Gar cracked up so much he nearly fell right off his chair. "Might as well dress her up in a bunny suit," he said, his strangely boyish voice varying in pitch as he guffawed.

"That would end up being white anyway," Richard added, laughing too.

"Both of you just shut up," Raven grumbled before stalking off behind a screen to wrench off the offensively lacy dress. Her silent secretary, who was cowering at the slight vehemence in Raven's voice, quickly shuffled over to help her.

"So," Richard said, clearing his throat as he inspected his fingernails to seem casual. "Raven never got to tell me how you proposed, Garfield." The slight edge in his voice revealed his brotherly overprotective-ness, but if Garfield Logan noticed, he gave no sign.

"Gar," the other man corrected, swinging a leg over the arm of his chair before launching into an excited, fast-paced monologue that Richard was convinced he's retold dozens of times. "Okay, so, dude…it's the night of my first HBO stand-up special, like, _ever_, and the auditorium was _packed_, and of course I was nervous it being my first show and all, and maybe it wasn't real smart with all the stress, but I figured, why not ask Rae to marry me during my show? I mean, how brilliant is that? If she says yes, great, but if she doesn't…well, I could just pretend it was part of my act, right?"

Richard grinned in spite of himself. "Right."

Gar gave an almost sheepish half-smile that bared a pair of unusually sharp canines. Now that he thought about it, Garfield Logan reminded Richard of a loping, cub-like wild animal with his lanky build and barking laugh. His artificially colored hair matched his bright jade eyes and the green polo shirt he was wearing, making him look like he had a habit of rolling around in the grass. Raven's fiancee was like frozen in time, his sense of humor and most of his face seemingly like that of a seventeen year old, even though Richard was told that he wasn't a day younger than twenty-two.

"I'm glad she said yes," Garfield said, looking over at the high wooden trifold screen with a soft, affectionate look that rested Richard's case. Gar turned his head and gave Richard an uncharacteristically gentle smile and murmured, "I love her. I would never hurt her."

Touched by his sincerity, Richard nodded his understanding and said, "I know."

His companion leaned back against the armrest and stared up at the ceiling. "It was real hard at first. I loved her the moment I met her, but getting her to love me back was the problem," Gar said with a half-hearted grin. "When I talk to girls like her, I feel thirteen again."

Richard laughed. "You've met more girls like Raven?" Richard asked with an incredulous raise of an eyebrow.

Gar snorted. "A few. None of them had _that_ temper though, damn. Dude, have you seen her angry? I mean, like,_really_ angry?"

Now it was Richard's turn to snort. "She tends to break things."

"_Expensive_ things!"

"Expensive things," Richard agreed with a knowing smile, his voice trailing off. Silence reigned for a few moments before Gar spoke up again.

"I wonder sometimes, how I got someone as amazing as her," Gar said, almost to himself. "Or where I got the patience to keep going. I hounded her practically, even though she pretty much treated me like tofu eggs. I mean, I thought…well, if I keep at it long enough she'll either get sick of me and kill me or love me back eventually, right?"

"Well, she hasn't killed you," Richard said, smiling.

"Not yet anyway," Gar corrected, grinning widely. "But let me tell you, man. She's one tough cookie."

Richard glanced at him from the corner of his eye. "You think you can handle her? She's a handful."

"More," Gar said with a childish roll of his green eyes. "But I love her. Maybe I'm crazy, since we're so different, and maybe one day we'll just end up murdering each other in our beds. I mean, I'm funny and she's, like, totally creepy with her mystery books and her crazy house decorations - have you _seen_ this girl's _room_?- and she'll get sick of my talking and I'll get sick of her…_not_ talking, and BAM! she hires a damn zombie super assassin from outer space to take me out. Maybe I'm crazy, but I love her, and I don't think anything's going to change that."

Richard was silent for a moment, simply observing his companion quietly. Then, finally, he said, "She loves you. I've never seen her so happy. You'll be good for her."

"Ya think so?" Gar said gratefully. "You don't know how awesome it is to hear that from you, man. You mean a lot to her, you know."

Richard smiled.

Raven stormed out from behind the screen, shooing her terrified secretary away. She stood in front of them with her fists on her hips, looking murderously furious, as if it was their fault her new dress was as incredibly poofy as it was.

"Wh-what are you--?" Gar managed before he and Richard both fell into a bout of hysterics.

Raven slumped down into a nearby chair, the wide, excessively lacy skirt of her gown almost burying her in its white folds. She glared, her eyes narrowing as the boys continued to laugh.

"You look like a piece of cake," Gar said as he wiped at his eye, his other hand poking at Raven's skirt.

"Shut up," Raven grumbled, swiping his hand away. Her pale cheeks flushed ever so slightly as Gar chuckled and leaned over to give her a gentle peck on the cheek. "Uh, what am I going to do? I refuse to wear _any_ of these," she said, coughing slightly.

Richard glanced at her thoughtfully, his hand on his chin. "You know…I have a designer friend. Maybe she can run over here and draw you up something."

Raven sighed. "Who?"

"Kory Anders."

Raven stared. "Soon-to-be Kory Harper? Your best friend's _fiancé_?"

"I'm not gonna do anything. You need help don't you?" Richard huffed defensively.

"It's not _you_ I'm worried about," Raven muttered.

"What do you mean?" Richard asked sharply.

"Uhm…am I missing something?" Gar asked, scratching at his head.

--

_Ding-Dong_

"That must be her," Raven said as the doorbell rang. She had changed into a pair of jeans and a thick purple sweater, and looked loads more comfortable. "Gerard will get it, Gar. Sit down."

"Oh, right," Gar said, grinning as he dropped down into his seat. "I forget how the other half lives, eh?"

"But aren't you a big star now?" Richard asked.

Gar shrugged. "Acting pays nice, I'm getting married. I got myself a big house, a moped, and a dog. My only servant's a nice old lady who cooks for me and cleans my house. I'm good."

Richard smirked. "Pays nice, huh?"

Gar grinned back. "Alright, pays _real_ nice."

"Ms. Kory Anders," Gerard, Raven's butler, announced royally before stepping back to reveal a red-faced, wind-tousled Kory in her usual tan jacket and a large drawing pad under her arm.

"Hello," she said shyly.

"Kory," Raven said, standing, her voice polite but characteristically cold. "Please, sit."

"Oh, thank you," she said, darting over to sit beside her.

"Hey there, I'm Garfield Logan, but you can call me Gar," the green-haired man said cheerfully, holding out a hand.

"Pleasure to meet you, Gar," Kory returned, smiling sweetly. "And Richard, hello."

"Hey, Kor," Richard said, ignoring Raven's assessing glance.

"You did not find a suitable dress among all of these?" Kory asked incredulously, her eyes sweeping over the racks of gowns.

"No," was Raven's crisp answer. "I hate frills. I hate lace. I hate pink. I won't tolerate any of it."

"So, Kor…can I call you Kor?" Gar said cheerfully, grinning as she nodded happily. "Richard was telling us about you and your sister before you came. Don't be afraid to let yourself get out there, girl. Being famous can be fun!"

Kory smiled at him gratefully and murmured, "Thank you, Gar, for your encouragement. I most appreciate it."

Richard glowered before mentally smacking himself. Now he was jealous of Raven's fiancé. Great.

"I am aware that the Anders line doesn't specialize in wedding gowns," Raven said, her tone icy and business-like. She, in turn, ignored Richard's dark look. He wished Raven wouldn't be so mean to her.

"No," Kory agreed cheerily, "we are not presently making wedding dresses, but since I am creating one for my own wedding, my sister suggested we make some gowns for the summer line. Should we begin?"

"Whenever you're ready."

Kory, suddenly glowing, whipped out her sketching pad and a charcoal pencil, and began to make large, sweeping lines on her paper. "I am thinking of something with a high collar and long sleeves perhaps, form fitting at the top and narrow until the knees, where it will fan out just right," she said, drawing as she spoke, her tone passionate. She was a whole new woman, and Richard found himself falling for this side of her, too. "You have a wonderful figure," Kory commented, giving Raven a smile she didn't return. "Something simple and narrow would fit you well." She passed her sketchbook to the dark-haired woman.

Gar leaned over, and his jaw dropped in admiration. "Wow, Kor! That's amazing! I can _so_ see you in that, Rae!"

Richard glanced over the top of the page, inwardly shaking his head at Kory's skill. If he hadn't believed her yesterday at the fair, then he'd definitely believe her now. She was amazing, and Raven wasn't showing it, but Richard knew she thought so too.

Raven studied the drawing quietly while Kory waited for the verdict, her hands clasped tightly in her lap and her lower lip between her teeth; a habit Richard noticed she had when she was nervous. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Raven looked up and smiled. "It's beautiful," she said, almost breathlessly.

Kory broke into a smile that warmed Richard from head to toe. "Perhaps it should be in dove gray silk? I have a most stunning material that would make it look almost lavender when it is hit by the light, and gray is most becoming now."

"Raven in dove! I love it!" Gar said, guffawing.

"That sounds perfect. It's all perfect," Raven said, looking genuinely pleased, her face already flushed with excitement. "And a veil…?"

"Nothing longer than about your waist."

"That's what I was thinking. When do you think I can come to your studio for a fitting?"

--

Richard stood out in the front veranda and breathed in the cool fall air, trying to ignore the way his body reacted to the girl that stood mere inches beside him. "Uh, Kory…wow, Raven really likes you. She never got used to anyone that quickly before," he said, slipping his hands into his pockets.

Kory smiled at him. "She is a most enjoyable companion. She is appreciative of my work, and she has a very good eye."

"That's Raven for you," Richard said cheerfully. "She's a bitch until you really get to know her," he added affectionately.

Kory glanced sharply at him and giggled nervously at his language. "Oh, Richard, shame on you!" Then, she said, sobering, "You are very close to her, I can tell."

Richard smiled. "There were times when she was all I had, and vice versa."

"I think that that is most beautiful."

"I'm glad she's happy," Richard said, looking out into the setting sun, the horizon a palette of warm colors. "She hasn't had that in a really long time, and she deserves it. Gar's good for her." He turned to the redhead to find her staring at him with a visage he couldn't place.

"Uhmm…Kor? Something wrong?" he asked nervously, wondering if he had something on his face. _I don't have spinach in my teeth, do I? I mean, I don't remember if I even had any today…_

"Oh! Uh…no," she said, blushing as she whipped her head away. "It made me so very happy to be design a dress for your friend Raven. I am most grateful that you thought of me," she murmured sincerely, her smile soft and genuine. "Thank you…Richard."

"Hey Kor, no problem," he said happily, grinning. "That's what friends are for, right?"

"Right," she answered, giggling slightly.

"So, uhm, do you want me to drive you home? It's getting late. We could get dinner or something on the way, I'm kind of hungry," he said hopefully, feigning casualness.

Kory's smile disappeared. "I--I, no. No, thank you. I am most grateful for your offer, Friend Richard, but Roy is expecting me," she said rather hastily, her smile slightly forced. "I really must get going. Goodbye!"

And just like that, she was gone.

_What was that about? _Richard thought, thinking back to everything he'd said that day, wondering if he'd offended her in any way. _I must have said something…_

Then, Richard glanced over his shoulder and chuckled. "You can come out now, Rae."

The door opened with a creak behind him, and Raven stepped out onto the porch to stand casually beside him. "How long have you been listening just inside that door?" Richard asked with an amused grin.

"Long enough," Raven said, shrugging. "How did you know I was there?"

"The same way you always know when I need you."

"Like now." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah…Rae, did I _say_ something?" Richard said, running his hand through his ebony locks in frustration. "She just kind of…ran out of here," he said guiltily, depression settling like a heavy rock in his stomach. _I'm a complete screw up_.

"No," Raven said curtly. Then, after a moment, she said, "Careful, Dick."

"About what?" he said, almost annoyed. "When I asked her to dinner? It wasn't like I was asking her out on a date, okay Rae? I was hungry, so I thought she might be too. Okay?"

"It's not you I'm worried about," she said sharply, glancing at him with a scowl.

"Then what are you talking about? You said that before, too." Sometimes he wished that she wouldn't be so cryptic all the time.

Raven just shook her head, and looked out into the creeping darkness, as if she refused to meet his eyes. "Just…go on a date, Dick."

"Huh?"

"Go on a date. With someone _else,_" she clarified pointedly. "Forget all about Kory Anders for just one night. I think it's time you learned your place…and to think of it, _her_ place. She's your _best friend's fiancé_, Dick. Don't you understand how many people are going to get hurt if you kept going with this? How much _you're_ going to get hurt?"

"I'm not trying to steal her away, Rae."

"I _know_ that, Dick," she said, almost frustrated. "I _know_. But still, just…listen to me, okay? Let her go. It's time you've stopped playing with this. There's Roy to consider too, you know."

Richard looked down at the weather-proofed planks under his feet, falling silent for a moment. "I know."

"Just think about it, ok? I don't want to see you hurt."

"I know, Rae. And thanks," he murmured before pulling her into a one-armed hug to kiss her on the forehead, his sisterly love for her burning him. _You've always thought of me first. Ever since._

"I just don't want you to get hurt," she whispered.

"And if Mr. Garfield Logan ever hurts you, tell me so I can hunt him down, cut his head off, and throw him in the River Gotham while I hang his head on a plaque by my jackalope."

Raven snorted. "Real brutish, but I'll keep that in mind," she said, turning back to go inside. "Now go home and get some rest. And you'll think about what I said, won't you?"

"I'll find someone else, Rae. I promise."

"Don't promise. Promises are meaningless. Just _try_, okay?"

"Yeah, okay."

…_but it's gonna be hard._

* * *

_Next chapter:_ What's this? Richard's going on a _date? _And he kisses someone? WHO? Richard Grayson, you dog!

Oh, another **author's note: **From now on the story will in semi-third person POV, and even though our Richard is still the main focus, we'll only see his thoughts when they're really important. And that's because around the end, the point of view will switch sharply to Kory's, and I'm trying to make that transition as smoothly as possible. Thanks for bearing with me! Much love!

**Illegally Blonde - **Yay! That's always satisfying to hear, thanks! I hope you liked this chapter!  
**Tammy Tamborine - **I'm so sorry for making you wait so long! Poor Richard, his whole life's bitter sweet. :sniffle:  
**Lil' LIK Star - **Hehe, while I was actually thinking about making Blackfire - aka Kam Anders - a significant villain in this story, she unfortunately won't be. She's just a shrewd overbearing woman with no problem dealing with celebrities. And like I said, Roy's not a bad guy in this story. Just oblivious sometimes. Hee hee.  
**Bree-2006 - **I knowww it killed me to write that! It's always hard when the person you love doesn't return your feelings! I hope you enjoyed this chapter too, thanks!  
**Lavender Gaia - **I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Doesn't Starfire just seem like a stuffed-animal person? Hehe. Thanks for the comment!  
**TeEn TiTan 11 - **Hi Jungleboy! Ohh which chapter? I'd like to read it hehe! I know the whole Star-and-Robin-going-to-the-fair/carnival/park has been done TONS of times, but hey, thought I'd try my hand in it. :sweat drop: hehe. Hope you liked this chapter too!  
**Falyn Angel - **I'm so sorry I kept you waiting! I'm glad you liked the last chapter, and thanks for the comment!  
**MyMonkeyisOrange - **Hee hee, your username makes me laugh every time. I hope you like this chapter, too!  
**rock'n'rollbitch - **Thank you sooo much for your comment! Constructive reviews like yours always make me very happy indeed! Oh, the warm fuzzies! I'm glad I'm doing something right. Hee hee! As for Blackfire making an appearance, she most likely won't make a significant cameo until the end…where she'll be playing a small but very important role. Hehe. I hope you liked this chapter, too!  
**Bluefirestar - **hehe, thanks so much for your concern! I_did_ know what infamous meant, but I read that part over and I realized it was kind of vague, so I rewrote it. I'm glad my reviewers are paying attention enough to let me know of my mistakes. Thank you!  
**jjangel9325232 - **Aaww thanks so much for your comment! And I'll definitely read your story!  
**Neko Saphira - **Hahaha! If you still want to know who'll be kissing, comment again and _maybe_ I'll tell you:wink, wink: Hehe…I hope you liked this chapter, too!  
**Samanthe2121 - **Hehe, as promised, here's Gar! Tell me what you think of him in this story!  
**Sugarland31****-** Hi! Thanks for the comment…hope you like this chapter too! Sorry to keep you waiting.  
**Strodgfrgf - **Hehe, you're so so very welcome! I was more than happy to dedicate that chapter to you! I've always loved your sweet, sweet comments, thanks!  
**KorrianderX'Hal - **Hehe, I think the BBRae coupling is so cute, so I was so glad I could make them a couple in my story. I think they're just so cute together. A prime example of opposites attract, don't you think?  
**The Queen Samurai** - Hi there! Thanks so much! I hope you liked this chapter too!  
**Starrobin4eva - **hahaha, that's so funny! We so have the same taste in guys…I'm obsessed with white guys with dark hair. And all my friends think I'm psycho for liking cartoon characters, but I just think anime dudes are the hottest guys around. Hahaha! I pray that someday you'll find a really great guy who'll love you more than anything. Don't worry dear, he's out there!  
**xStarfirex - **Thanks for the comment! Hope you liked this chapter, too!  
**AnnMari123 - **Hehe, thank you! Don't you just love all the fluff and the lusty Richy? Thanks for the comment!  
**April4rmH-town -**YAY gummy bears! Yum! Haha, strangely enough, I _did_ understand you, and yes, we'll all be crossing our fingers hoping they'll get together. Thanks for the comment!  
**xox.Annie Potter.xox - **Yikes! Thanks so much for catching that! I changed it the moment I read your comment. I'm so pleased that my readers are paying enough attention to my story that they'd catch my mistakes. Thanks so much! And nope, Gar didn't propose until last chapter…Raven only told Richard that she _thought_ he was going to do it soon…then, surprise! He did it! WHEE! Hope you liked this chapter, too!  
**Orlifan4561 -**If all goes according to plan :rubs hands together: Rae and BB's wedding should be the last chapter. But then again, that could very well change. Hehe. I'm glad you liked my last chapter, and I'm sorry for keeping you waiting so long!  
**Night Burner - **Thanks so much! What a great compliment! I totally understand…I wasn't into AU fanfics because not many writers could write AUs without changing the characters' very personalities, which makes the story not quite fan fiction anymore. That's why I try to keep all my characters IC, and I'm just praying I've done it right. I hope you liked this chapter, too!  
**Jadedea - **I'm sorry I kept you waiting! We'll learn all about Roy's feelings in one of the coming chapters…though I'm thinking that'll be a little ways away. Thanks for the comment!  
**MereImage - **Your comment just totally made my day. I loved your insight on my story, and you've hit on all the points I've been trying to make. I'm glad you've given Roy a chance…poor guy, he's not so bad once you get to know him. Hehe. I _am _hoping to make writing my career, and compliments like yours just give me so much new hope. And darling, if you can hope, you can totally succeed! Go for it!  
**Serpentslayer - **Thanks sooo much for your continued encouragement! Thanks for not giving up on my story, because I certainly haven't! I'm so glad you like my story! I hope you liked this chapter too.  
**Thugette90 - **Hey Christi! How's everything? I'm sooo sorry I took so long to update…I'm glad you liked the last chapter, I hope you liked this one too! I'll be looking forward to your next review:HUG:  
**Lupine-eyes - **Aaww, I'm sorry you were having a bad day, and I'm glad my story managed to cheer you up! I'm rather pleased about Raven getting married, too…hehe. I hope you liked this one!  
**Sealeena - **Haha! Everyone's just so happy Raven is getting married…yay! Weddings are fun! Well…not the actual wedding, they're rather boring…but the reception's fun! lol! Thanks for the comment!  
**Daphne - **I'm sorry I took forever to update! I just love the RobStar couple…they're just too cute for words. Thanks for the review!  
**RobinStarfire - **Yay! Fluff abounds! I'm glad you like my story…thanks for the comment! I'm sooo sorry I kept you waiting so very long!  
**Andi-Chan - **Woohoo, RobStar fans unite! You totally rock too! Thanks for the comment!  
**DOJ -**Thanks so much for your review! I'm glad you like my story. Hee hee, I enjoyed writing Kitten, actually. I'm happy you like the cameos…they're one of my favorite parts of my own story. Hee hee…hope you liked this chapter!  
**eventide spirit - **hehe, that really wasn't how Bruce Wayne became Richard's mentor in the comics, but the Robin after Richard, Tim Drake, became Robin after Batman caught him trying to steal the tires off the BatMobile. I just thought that was the funniest thing, so I tried incorporating it into this story. Hee hee, glad you liked it! I thought about making Kory a model, but I decided to use more of the personality of the tv series Starfire than the comics Starfire…that sort of adorable, shy persona that I just think is so cute. The sexy, seductive, outgoing side of Starfire will be saved for my next story. Hee hee. Thanks for the comment! Oh, and gosh I just realized you sent me a PM from the RobStar Shrine, and I got the message after the Shrine crashed, so I never got to read it! I'm so sorry:cries:  
**JayJayde - **Thank so very much! I try so hard to keep the characters IC, and I'm glad I'm doing it right. I hope you liked this chapter too!  
**Somekindafreaky - **I'm glad you had a good time in NY! Wow, I'm totally amazed that you find American prices cheap…but then again, I heard everything in Europe is so much more expensive. Eep! The last time I was in Europe was when I went to Germany when I was six…I'd love to go back soon! Thanks so much for your comments…I just adore your writing, you're amazing! CWY just gets better and better after every chapter. Very inspiring to the rest of us!  
**Princess Starfire of Tamaran - **Hi! Wow, I'm so honored…your one-shots are the very, very best out there! Thanks for the comment!  
**Locket101 - **Thanks so much! I hope you liked this chapter too!  
**KoryStarMoon16 - **Haha, I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting! Nope, Robin and Raven are strictly feeling no more than brotherly love in this story. Thanks for the review!  
**Iris Night - **I'm so very flattered that you enjoyed my story! Hee hee! While my total adoration for the RobStar coupling will be reflected in this fic, I hope I don't disappoint in terms of the writing. I've read _very_ well-written RobRae fics, and I agree that they can be a rather cute couple. In this one, however, they'll just have a brother-sister relationship, which I just love writing. Hehe! Thanks very much for the review!  
**Crimson Requiem - **Hee hee…when one of them already have a significant other, it gets complicated enough that there's no need for a villain, lol! I hope you liked this chapter!

Wow! I can't thank you guys enough for the kind reviews! If I forgot anyone, please forgive me, because I certainly had no intention of skipping you. Thanks so much!

As always, comments and constructive criticism _very_ much appreciated!


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Oh my gosh. I. Am. So. Sorry. I took forever and it was inexcusable, and I apologize profusely! Schoolwork has been utter hell, and I was writing this chapter for several hours one day, and all of sudden my computer freezes and everything I write disappears! I was in tears, and I couldn't look at this thing for weeks. Now I'm paranoid and hit Save every few minutes. lol.

Thanks to everyone reading this, and for sticking with me! All of you are wonderful! Now let me shush up so you can get on to the story. Hee hee.

* * *

**Strangers in the Night: Chapter 8 **(AAHH! Can you believe it?)

Miggy Webster was perfect. She was an honors student at Richard's old college and made a wonderful companion, forever witty and comical. She was high class and _very_ wealthy, but hated the paparazzi almost as much as Richard did. She played pro tennis and won a few prestigious titles, and will probably be known for the rest of her life for "changing the fashion of tennis," since she out-staged even Serena Williams with the outrageousness of her match outfits, which tended to look almost superhero-ish with its distinctly bright colors and unique material. She had a pretty face and a model figure, and every guy would kill to have her.

And that's why Richard was in the middle of the most exclusive seafood restaurant in Gotham, sitting in the most haut monde table in the entire joint, right across from the most eligible bachelorette in the city.

Because she was perfect. Perfect for him.

She had curly, golden hair and was very fair, the totally opposite of the sun-kissed, flame-headed Kory Anders, who could have well been from off this planet for all her exoticness. Miggy was talkative, almost to the point of being brash, but it was an improvement from the shy, blushing Kory who spoke with almost annoyingly slow deliberation. But then again, the way Kory talked carried a tune, a floating melody that reminded Richard of glass bells and the airy weightlessness of a bird in flight…

Wait. What was his point again?

"…as if I didn't have enough penthouse suites. Dick? If I'm boring just say so. You've spaced out three times in the last ten minutes," Miggy said, grinning good-naturedly as she broke Richard's reverie.

Richard groaned and set his head down on the table. "Miggs, I'm sorry. You're great, but I can't do this."

Miggy laughed. "I know," she said matter-of-factly, surprising him as she took a casual sip from her wineglass.

"What?" Richard asked, dumbfounded.

"You know, Prince Richard of Gotham, you're not as clever and mysterious as you look on television," she teased, leaning forward. "Something in your eyes gives it all away. So now tell me. Who's this special, special girl who's got your head in the clouds, huh? I've never seen you this way before, of all the years I've known you. Now spill."

Richard sighed guiltily. "Geez, Miggs, I'm sorry for dragging you into this. You know what I feel about you…"

"We've always been friends, Dick. And I think it's always gonna stay that way. Besides, I don't think it'll work out," she said with a faux dramatic sigh. "I don't think I'm over Dave Corby yet. As much as I love you," she added, putting a hand on his shoulder in mock seriousness.

"You're the best, Miggs," Richard grinned, still looking slightly pained.

"Don't scowl like that. Your face will stay that way, and _then_ what will your adoring fans do with themselves? Hey, do you think I can stay over at your place for a bit? Daddy's home from Tokyo, and I don't feel like being ignored tonight," she said with a roll of her eyes.

Richard fell silent, and looked at her. "Miggs…"

"Over it," she said nonchalantly, shrugging the sympathy away. "Just invite me over already."

"Come over for coffee?" he piped obediently.

"I'd love to!" Miggy said cheerfully, clapping her hands in a cutely childish way that sent Richard's mind over to Kory again. He groaned.

"And while you drive me over," Miggy said, rising from her seat to drag Richard out of his, "you'll tell me all about this mystery girl who's got Grayson's boxer-briefs in a bunch."

"…How'd you know I wear boxer-briefs?"

--

Miggy sipped thoughtfully at her cappuccino, lounging barefoot on Bruce's black leather couch looking as comfortable as a cat on a sunny windowsill. "I miss being pampered like this," she said contentedly, stretching.

"You get pampered everyday," Richard snorted from the floor by her feet, staring at the blazing fireplace; the only source of light in the black sitting room.

"Yes," she said, swinging her body upside down on the sofa so that her hair fell across Richard's shoulder and her knees hung over the back of the couch. "But not by the Prince of Gotham, the Divine Heir of Wayne Enterprises, the Omnipotent Son of the _King_--"

"Alright, I get it," Richard interrupted, smirking slightly as he took her cup so it wouldn't spill.

Miggy turned smoothly over, so that her stomach was on the cushions, her legs still in the air and her chin on her arms. "What are you gonna do now, Dick? You're madly in love, and the girl's marrying your best friend. It sounds like a bad soap opera."

"I wish," Richard said, his eyes flickering with the light of the fire.

"Why do you love her so much anyway?"

"Because she knows me."

"Everyone who doesn't live in a third world country knows you. And I heard the grasslands in Africa got cable now."

"No!" Richard said, turning around so that he faced her. "She _knows_me. To her, I'm not _Richard Grayson_. I'm just…Richard. She accepted me for who I _am_, even with my flaws, and my fears, and…" Richard fell silent, his eyes losing focus again.

"Well, 'Just Richard,'" Miggy murmured gently, "you sound like a total cheese ball. And she sounds wonderful."

"She is. Roy doesn't deserve her."

"And you do?" Miggy said, her tone not unkind.

"I…" Richard swallowed, his tone racked with guilt. "I'm going to hell for this. Roy's my best friend, and I never want to hurt him, but…he's not treating her right."

"Is he abusive?" Miggy said sharply.

"No, no. He's just…"

"Busy all the time?" Miggy finished darkly, scowling. "Huh. I've had enough of his kind."

"It's not his fault," Richard sighed. "The business is booming. But damn, I'd give up the _world_ for her."

"Well, you do _own_ most of it."

"Miggs…"

"You know I'm just teasing," Miggy said, wrapping a sisterly arm around Richard's neck. "Listen to me. And listen good, 'cos I don't give advice real often. If you feel that great love, then you better be doing everything in your power to make her yours."

"It's not that easy, Miggy."

"What?" she exclaimed, sitting up quickly. "And why not?"

"Because--" Richard was interrupted by a flash of car headlights in the windows, briefly illuminating the room with angry yellow lights that accompanied the screech of tires on the stone driveway.

"Who's that?" Richard wondered, picking himself up from his spot on the floor. "It's late." He reached the door a moment before it sounded with a loud, insistent knocking, making Richard furrow his eyebrows in puzzlement. He opened the door, and on his step stood a dying angel with red hair.

"K-Kory?" he said in amazement, taking a moment to drink in the sight of her. Then he met her gaze, and was jolted by the grief in her eyes and the streaks of tears on her tanned cheeks. "What's wrong?" he asked, feeling instantly murderous. _Who dared make her cry? _

"Oh, Richard!" she exclaimed, bursting into tears as she threw her arms around him. "I am most grieved, for Roy has…oh…I--I am interrupting something," she murmured, pulling away when she spotted Miggy on his couch.

"Actually, I was just leaving," Miggy said kindly before he could speak, standing to slip on her shoes. "Thanks for the coffee, Dick." She gathered up her things and went swiftly out the door, but not before giving Richard a sly, devilish wink behind Kory's back.

Richard ignored her and watched Kory instead. She'd bitten her lip until she was sure Miggy was out of earshot, then took high-pitched, staccatoed sobs before burying her face in her hands with a strangled wail.

"I cannot marry him, Richard! I _will _not!"

…Time stood still. Richard could feel the beating of his heart in his chest, the sound seeming to bounce off the walls of the room, which turned suddenly cold and cavernous. Feeling strangely numb, he swept past her and closed the door, shutting out the cold fall wind that had whistled through the entryway. "You don't even have a coat on," he said stupidly.

She shook her head. "I-I just fled from the house. From _him_." She covered her mouth with a palm to stifle her sobs as fresh tears trailed down her cheeks. It tore him to pieces.

He indicated that she sit down on the couch, not finding the strength to touch her. He didn't dare. She plopped down onto the plush leather, running her hands along her arms to warm them. Minutes passed and silence reigned, the cackling of the fire and Kory's sniffles the only sounds in the stillness.

"Did he hurt you?" he asked thickly, suddenly, his breath coming in short, angry pants. His grating voice cut through the quiet air, but Kory didn't seem to notice his tone or the clenching of his fists.

"Yes," she murmured quietly, "but not in the way you are surely thinking."

"You fought, then."

She nodded, snuffling. "He was getting fitted for his suit…much like Miss Raven was at her home. I finished my dress, Richard," she said, looking up at him with a weak smile.

"That's great, Kor," he croaked, in agony. "I'm sure--I'm sure it's amazing."

"Thank you," she squeaked, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "Oh, Richard…I--I just had a miserable day and I could do nothing correctly, and I just wanted so desperately for his approval, for him to take me in his arms and say, 'Kory Bear, you made this yourself? I love it!' but he did not, not one of those things, and all he would do was look and look at his phone, and finally it did ring and he just dismissed me from his attention and oh! he's done that so many _many _times and I just became _so very angry_ and said all these hurtful words and so did he, until I could take it no longer and just _ran, _with him still screaming all these horrible things at my back and…oh, Richard, tell me, was it all my fault? Am I being selfish? If you say that I am, I shall not ever complain again. I _won't_!" She grabbed at his arm, her face close and turned up to his, her eyes searching, searching.

_No, you're not. But stay with me. I'll never make you cry, _he wanted to say. Here was his chance. Here it was, waiting for him to take it. She could be his. He could have made all of his dreams come true in this one. Single. Moment.

But he didn't.

"No, you're not, Kory. But…but Roy does love you. He's told me himself. Many times," he said instead, his own voice sounding foreign. _No, no!_ his mind screamed, but his mouth kept moving, saying words that pummeled him into the ground harder, harder, harder still. "He's--he's just really busy sometimes, that's all. He's proud of Harper Hotels, it's…it's his baby. But you know, he'd--he'd give it all up for you because he…he does love…" His voice faded in the end. He couldn't go on.

_What are you saying?_ there were those voices again. As if he had little angel and devil personas of himself on his shoulder, mini Richard Grayson doppelgangers dressed in white and the other red. He felt a bubble of hysteria rise up in his chest, and had to take a deep breath to keep from letting it out and finally going crazy. _He doesn't deserve her! How many times have you said that to yourself? Just today?_

…_Then why am I defending him?_

_Because she loves him_, said a wicked, wicked voice in the back of his head. _She loves him, and you know he loves her. And you'll do everything to make her happy. _It was wicked. But at the same time, kind. The rational part of him.

"Oh, Richard," she murmured again, burying her face in his shoulder. She clutched at his sleeve, the material bunching in her fist. "What will I ever do without you? I am eternally grateful that we are friends. You are always there for me."

"Always," he managed.

"I am so afraid," she whispered, her voice muffled by shirt. She'd stopped crying by then. "I am afraid that Roy does not love me as much as I love him. Have you ever felt that, Richard? That fear of unreturned love?" she pressed, tilting her head back to look up at him.

He stared at her, his face blank. "I understand," he murmured. _More than you'll ever know._

Richard Grayson would later claim that he had no idea how it happened. One moment she was merely before him, her chin tilted up as their eyes locked. Her quiet beauty shone despite her sadness, her ruby hair in a soft disarray and her face glowing with the heat of the fireplace. Then in the next moment his hand had cupped her cheek, and his lips found hers, all his pent-up passion cast loose in that one, long, languishing kiss.

Kory gasped at his almost frenzied longing and wrapped her arms around his neck, returning his kiss with equal passion. He gently pulled her towards him and upwards, shifting her entire body so that she was straddling him, his body closer to a girl than he's ever been. He handled her like glass, like she was something precious, his hands light as one nestled itself in her hair and the other rested on the small of her back. Her skirt rode up and his fingers skimmed down her side to lovingly caress the milky softness of her thigh, emitting a soft, mewling moan from her lips.

It jerked him to his senses. And violently so.

He wrenched his mouth away from hers and pushed her away, his breathing as ragged as hers. He stared at her in horror, her swollen lips and glazed eyes making the folly of his actions vividly, horribly clear. Pleasure…guilt…joy…anger…everything he's ever felt and more crashed down upon him, then faded away to a single, cold, numbing thought:

_What have I done?_

The feelings returned, the whirlwind of emotion threatening to drown him, to take him down, down, down to depths he's never encountered before, strangling him until his breath whooshed out of him. His mind suddenly focused on a single dark object that sat heavily in his stomach, the deep, deep darkness within him swallowing up everything else until it was all he could think about.

_I've betrayed him. I've betrayed Roy._

The mantra continued, and it was several minutes before he could bring himself to look at the gasping girl before him.

"I am…I am so sor--" she began, her eyes flickering with something that was gone before he could place it. She was interrupted by the screeching of tires outside, heavy yellow headlights sequentially illuminating the windows for the second time that night. The slamming of doors followed the sounds of a dying engine, and harried footsteps sounded on the cobblestone before the door shook with the heaviness of a pounding fist.

"Richard! Richard, oh god, is Kory in there?" Roy's voice called through the wood, his voice urgent and frightened. "We fought Rich, and_fuck_ I'm such an idiot--!"

"She's here," he called, his voice clear and calmer than he felt. He stood and crossed what seemed to be miles of carpet and marble to open the door for a disheveled Roy, his eyes clouded over and his breathing frantic.

"Man, where is she? Where--_Kory_!" Roy cried out in utter relief as he saw her standing by the couch. He bounded across the room to crush her to his chest, his hands clutching at her shoulders as if she'd evaporate into the air if he loosened his grip even a fraction. "Oh god, Kory, I'm so sorry--I'm a jerk, and you're right--you're always right…I'm so sorry, and I just want you to be so happy, and I was so afraid…oh, Kory, I love you!" He grabbed her chin and kissed her hard, crushing her lips in an urgent, frantic kiss that Richard couldn't tell whether she returned or not.

"I'm so sorry," he breathed, pressing his forehead against hers. "Let's go home, okay? Okay?"

She nodded silently, and Roy started towards the door with her at his side, his arm still tightly around her shoulder. As they passed Richard, Roy reached out a hand and Richard flinched instinctively against the blow he thought he'd receive. But it was only a grateful clap on the back, and a soft, honestly appreciative "Thank you" before they stepped out the door. Kory kept staring back at him, her brow furrowed and her eyes wide and flickering with an emotion he couldn't name. Disgust? Anger? Fear?

_Regret_?

He closed the door against those questioning eyes, and realized, almost drunkenly, that he had reached the lowest possible point in his life at that very moment.

* * *

**A/N:**Sooo what do you think? This is perhaps the darkest chapter in this story. I actually meant for this to be more of a romantic comedy, but it just went a completely different way. Hee hee!

**-- Miggy Webster **really was a girl that Robin had feelings for in the comics, but in this fic she's more of an enigma of most of Richard Grayson's "lovers." Specifically, I made her a mixture of Miggy Webster, Bridget Clancy, Lori Elton, and Betty Kane, all of whom are fairly minor characters that Richard had some sort of romantic relationship with.

Thanks for reading! As always, comments and constructive criticism are most welcome!

**Crimson Requiem** - Hi! Thank you so much! Hope you liked this chapter as well!  
**eventidespirit** - Aaww, thank you! You completely got where I was going with the Gar/Rae relationship...they _are_ very different people, and it really would be very difficult if they did get together. It would be so nice if they did, though. Hehe, I was actually very proud of Gar's proposal, and I have been thinking about making it into a one-shot or something...probably not a whole side story to SitN, but...gosh, if I could just find the time.  
**firefliez** - Ahh, Raven. She can be such an ice queen. Aaw, BBRae ain't that bad...very fun to write. They remind me of my friends and I...with all our sarcastic banter. Hee hee. Thanks for the comment!  
**AnnMari123** - Yay! You totally got the point of the last chapter. I'm happyhappy. Wheee, frilly cake dress!  
**KorrianderX'Hal** - Ahh, what IS with Kory? Hopefully we got more things about that in this chapter.  
**somekindafreaky** - I always look forward to your wonderful comments, somekindafreaky! You're forever making me feel good about my writing. Thank you so much...the veranda scene was my favorite. I really, really hope you liked this chapter, too!  
**Sealeena** - Haha! All those threats I got about the girl Richard was going to go out with were scaring me. This one had a fraction of fluff...hope you liked!  
**Tammy Tamborine** - Hee hee! Yay Beastboy!  
**Melody of Melodies** - xD Thanks for the comment!  
**xox.Annie Potter.xox** - HAHAHA! Your comment made me laugh. Richard better watch out for Annie Potter's wrath if he ever dare insult Harry again. I checked out that song by Ryan Cabrera, and it was so sweet! I love that Ryan, with his porcupine hair. Hee hee!  
**Love Angel Monkey** - I love your username! It's adorable. Sorry to keep you waiting. :HUGS:  
**sugarland31** - Hee hee, we'll see! Ahh, it kills me to write any character in heartbreak, but what can I do. :sniff: Hope you liked this chapter too!  
**titansfan** - ohhh I'm so sorry I took forever! I think we're all hoping for a happy ending.  
**SuperrachiE** - Yay! Glad you liked!  
**Jadedea** - Thanks for understanding! I've just been so busy with school and stuff, and it's driving me crazy. You're absolutely right...you got Raven down pat.  
**rock'n'rollbitch** - Eep, my muse just abandoned me. Aaaw, thank you! BBRae is such a sweet coupling, but I understand how people can't see it working out. Glad you like them now!  
**RobinLuvsStar** - I'm so sorry to keep you waiting! Ahh, if I had the time I'd draw Raven's dress...maybe someone else will, that would be nice.  
**StarryTian** - Ah, if I only owned Teen Titans, I'd make them do all these outrageous things. Ohh well. A girl can hope. Hee hee.  
**KoryStarMoon16** - Thanks very much for your nice comment! Yeap, I live on AIM. haha. Mine's on my profile if you'd like it.  
**april4rmH-town** - Wheee! Banana dance! That was fun. Hee heee.  
**Samanthe2121** - HAHA! There's your scandal! Run for the hiiiiiills!  
**MyMonkeyIsOrange** - Sorry to keep you waiting! But here it is, hope you like it!  
**Lavender Gaia** - I tried to stray from the women that writers usually use, like Donna Troy or Barbara Gordon. Hee hee, I just had a mental image of Kory's room, which would most certainly be filled to the brim with stuffed animals.  
**Mayday Parker** - I'm soo sorry to have kept you waiting! Ahh, Bruce is most definitely a hard character to write. You just don't know what's going through his clever little batty head. Cookies AND hugs? It's my lucky day! Same for you, love!  
**Night'sMysteriousStar** - Sorry for the cliffhanger! Richard is definitely getting mixed advice from everybody, what IS he going to do? Poor thing. Thanks for the comment!  
**katie** - I'm so very sorry for the wait! I know it's been a while and I have no excuse. I hope you liked this chapter, though!  
**Liz0888** - Characterization is what I most focus on...but I do mess up sometimes, and I can't help Ooc-ness. Glad to know I'm doing something right. Thanks!  
**lupine-eyes** - Thanks for pointing out my mistakes! Always appreciated. Sorry to keep you waiting!  
**Takari AAF** - Thank you very much! I hope you like this chapter too!  
**strodgfrgf** - hehehe YAY! Glad you liked! I'm so very sorry to have kept you waiting!  
**Neko Saphira** - Haha! We'll definitely see...I hope you liked this chapter! I made them kiss, see? Hee hee!  
**starrobin4eva** - Ahh, thank you so much! I'm having a little difficulty with the character development, but I'm glad someone thinks it's pretty decent. Sorry I took forever!  
**Starfire-is-not-a-wimp** - Haha, you're right, there's not enough of Speedy to really know what he's like. I'm glad you think my story's kinda unique...hate it when people use the same sort of plot over and over. Though I guess it can't be helped. Thanks for the sweet, lovely comment which I loved! lol.  
**Illegally Blonde** - Gosh I'm so proud of that wedding gown. I'm so happy so many people love it too. Hope you liked this chapter!  
**xStarfirex** - Ahh I'm so sorry I took so long! Thanks for the comment though!  
**mollykat** - Hi! Eep, I think Annie Potter up there will murder me if I pair Richard up with Kam. Thanks for making me a favorite! Your quote was cute.  
**DOJ** - I love writing Gar! He's so cheesy and funny and AH! let's all hug him.  
**PinkFlamingo44** - Ohhh I've lost many a fanfic before, and I've always hated not knowing what would happen next. Glad you like it!

If I forgot anyone, I apologize! Don't think I did so on purpose, because I would never do such a thing.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **I don't know how to apologize enough. Life has been a great, big, nauseating roller coaster ride and my muse had completely abandoned me until very recently. You've all been so kind to me, and I can't imagine making you all wait so long for an update (especially after such an awful cliffhanger!) but I've gone and done it and I don't know how I could possibly make it up to all of you, especially to those who've been with me since the beginning…

BUT I AM BACK, and Chapter 10 should be ready before the end of June. Special thanks to those who haven't given up on me or this story, especially TahitiLiz, whose message really inspired me to keep going…thanks, darling. You have no idea how wonderful I think you are.

To returning readers, thank you. For those new to my story, welcome.

* * *

**Story Recap: **Richard has fallen in love with his best friend's soon-to-be wife, Kory Anders, who is gorgeous and charming and impossibly tolerant of her workaholic fiancé. In an attempt to forget about her, Richard goes on a disastrous date with a longtime acquaintance, not knowing that the night will end with Kory showing up on his doorstep, hysterical and vulnerable after a fight with Roy. Richard does the unspeakable and kisses her…what will become of him, and Kory's relationship with Roy?

* * *

**Strangers in the Night: Chapter 9**

"_It's Grayson. I'm not available right now, so leave a message at the sound of the beep."_

BEEEP

"_Dick? Hey, it's Roy. Where you been, man? I've been trying your cell all day. Anyway, what happened last night made me realize how much I love Kory, and--and we've both decided that…the both of just can't wait, man. We're getting married next weekend, Dick! _Next weekend! _You should see me, man, I'm shaking all over, I'm so excited…I've never been happier in my life, I swear to God…Anyway, dress rehearsal is in three days, and…I was wondering if you'd have the best man speech ready by then, you think? Call me back…my God…next weekend…_!"

--

"…You _what_?"

A voice muffled by pillows. "Rae…please--"

Pacing. "Didn't I tell you this was going to happen? _Didn't I tell you_?"

A sigh. "I'm not in the mood, Raven."

"I don't _care_ if you're in the mood or not, Dick! You--you are the--the biggest, dumbest, most appalling--argh! _idiot!_--who's _ever_ made the world unfortunate! I _told _you, and _you just wouldn't listen--_!"

Richard pressed a fat white pillow over his head in a futile attempt to block the onslaught of Raven's unnaturally high-pitched voice on his already-sensitive hearing. Another regret settled on his ever-growing pile: he never should have raided Bruce's liquor cabinet last night.

"_Richard!_ Are you listening to me?!"

Richard groaned, wishing that the world would just end at that very moment.

--

The morning came and went before Raven managed to have Richard decently dressed and out of his room, but it took even longer for her to help him get rid of the hangover he'd accumulated over the past two nights. However, with the help of a steaming cup of Alfred's Secret Miracle Herbal Cure for Hangovers and a bit more of Raven's persuasive coaxing, Richard, clearheaded and sober, found himself sitting in that same leather sofa where he'd kissed--

He gulped down the rest of Alfred's strange tea, and cringed as the bitter taste slithered down his throat. He resisted the urge to gag.

"So," Raven said from her position on the opposite end of the couch, "now that you've made an utter fool of yourself and an adulteress of little Miss Kory, what are you going to do?"

Richard glowered. "You're nice, Rae. Real nice. So supportive. That's what I love about you."

Raven snorted, her patience long past gone. As was her tolerance. And her tact. "You deserve it. And since your sense of humor's back, I'm guessing that headache's almost gone? "

"Now that you mention it…" He did feel as if the throbbing between his eyes had lessened considerably. "This stuff really works," he said thoughtfully, then swallowed the last few mouthfuls. His face scrunched. "Gross, though."

Raven rolled her eyes. She leaned her hand on her fist and feigned nonchalance when she asked, "Well? Are you writing it?"

"Writing what?"

"The best-man speech Roy called you about."

"Yeah."

Raven's head shot up. He glanced at her, a sad, strange ghost of a smile on his face. Raven had to look away. "I think it's about time I start being the friend I should have been from the beginning."

Richard's tone bore the weariness of a man accepting a defeat, and it made Raven angry, and so sad.

--

_Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Richard Grayson, and I am especially grateful to give this speech, because after all the years Roy and I have been friends, he has finally admitted that I am, in fact, the best man! Harhar. (pause for laughter?) I think everyone would agree with me when I say: Kory, you look absolutely stunning. (pause) While Roy just looks sort of stunned--_

Richard threw down his pen and violently crumpled the sheet of paper up between his hands. With a shout he chucked it mightily against the far wall of Bruce's study, and watched it bounce off the mantle and onto the lavishly carpeted floor. He dropped his head on Bruce's heavy oak desk and groaned. He'd been at it for almost two hours and all he's gotten out of it is carpel tunnel and an overflowing wastebasket. He had refused Raven's help, thinking it would be better if he wrote it alone, but failed to produce anything even remotely acceptable once he'd actually sat down and started.

"What am I doing?" he muttered into his palms as he rubbed them roughly against his face. He felt drained of his hope, and without it he felt worn and dull and he was sure it was affecting his ability to do anything properly. In addition, _her_ face kept materializing in his mind's eye, distracting him from a task for which he felt increasingly inadequate.

"_I am most grateful we are friends." _She had said that with a smile, with her arms around him on that Ferris wheel. She had been beautiful that day, even in that ratty sweater and baseball cap. She had laughed and sung and skipped and smiled, and Richard remembered feeling happier than he'd ever felt in his life.

Almost without thinking he picked up his pen, pulled out a pristine sheet of paper, and began to write.

_Dear Kory, _he wrote. _You'd never know this, but I love you._

_--_

Several minutes later he had a page and a half of a handwritten love letter with words that seemed to simply flow from his fingertips. He wrote sentence after sentence of their every encounter, and of how he'd fallen in love with her the moment they met that fateful day in the street. He wrote of his guilt, and that he no longer wished to compromise his friendship with Roy, even though he would always love her…

Richard dropped his pen and buried his face in his hands. A feeling of peace and relief had taken over him as he wrote, but it proved to be fleeting. That letter was dangerous, he decided, and he would make sure that no one would ever see it. Angry with himself, he made to rip it up when his cell phone began playing an incessantly unpleasant, high-pitched tune. With a growl he picked it up and smashed it into the side of his head. "What?" he snapped.

"Bad time?" said Roy's good-natured drawl from the other side of the line.

_Fuck._

"You have no idea," Richard answered instead, leaning his forehead wearily into his hand.

"Want to talk about it?"

"…No." _Definitely not. _"I'm fine. What's up?"

"If you're sure…well, just wondering, you done with that speech yet?"

Richard cringed and glanced at the small metal trash bin at his feet, which seemed overrun by balls of white paper from a notepad, then at the letter beneath his hand. He crushed his slowly in his fist. "Uhm…yeah?"

"Great!…because I just sent Kory over there to pick it up so I can read it."

Richard shot from his chair, and it toppled over behind him with a crash. "What? Goddamn, Roy! I'm busy!" he shouted.

"Sorry, I'm sorry!" Roy said, clearly bewildered. "I'll call her right now, and tell her to come right home…"

Richard heard the doorbell ring suddenly, reverberating through the walls of the mansion. He spent a moment in panic, throwing the letter to the floor and straightening the fallen chair. He collapsed into it resignedly and sighed, wondering almost idly when his life became such a disastrous mess.

"It's fine, Roy," Richard muttered lifelessly. "She's here."

He heard Roy groan. "Listen, man, I didn't know, I really didn't. It was just she was sulking all day and I was busy with work and I thought it would be alright if she went over there to hang out with you for a bit--"

"It's fine," Richard repeated. "Really. I was just…stressed. Work. You know."

"I know it, man. I know. I'll call her right this instant and tell her to go home, I swear. It was terrible of me, it was, I'm really sorry."

"It's fine," Richard said for the third time, and hung up. By that time he could hear Alfred's and her footsteps outside the door, their voices already within earshot. He heard Alfred's low murmur and her bright chirping; a sound he had not heard in almost two days.

He seriously considered, for a moment, jumping out of the bay window behind him.

A knock on the door preceded its opening, and Alfred stepped in and said, "Miss Kory Anders," before stepping aside and letting a flustered-looking Kory into the room. Richard wanted to beg Alfred not to leave them alone, but the elderly man had disappeared before Richard could think up of a valid reason for Alfred to stay in the room.

Instead, he dragged himself out of his chair to stand behind it, refusing to look Kory in the eye. Meanwhile, she hovered by the door wringing her hands, acutely aware of the uncomfortable silence that weighted down the room. She cleared her throat. "Uhm, Richard…about--about the other night…"

"It was a mistake," Richard interrupted gruffly, his tone rougher than he intended. "It was a mistake," he repeated, gentler this time. "You were upset. I was…drunk," he lied, "and…it meant nothing, so…yeah."

"Of-of course," Kory murmured, drifting closer. "You are most right, of course."

"You've patched things up with Roy? I'm guessing, since you pushed up the wedding."

"This is…correct." Richard looked up to see Kory biting her lip adorably. "Is…is there any reason why I should not wed Roy?" she blurted out suddenly. "I--I want to know. From you. Since…you have known him longer than I." Her mouth closed abruptly, as if surprised at herself.

Richard stepped towards her, his breath suddenly catching in his throat. "Kory..?"

Her cell phone rang shrilly, suddenly.

They jumped farther apart in surprise as Kory fumbled clumsily in her bag to search for the source of the irritating sound.

"Hello? Hello?" she said almost frantically into the tiny device once she'd found it. "Oh, Roy! H-how are you?" Richard looked away. "I…yes, I am indeed--what? Right at this moment?" She shot a Richard a worried glance. "Oh, alright, I--yes. Yes, I…I love you, as well." Kory clapped the phone closed and slowly slipped it back into her bag. A moment of silence reigned once more until she said, "Is something the matter? Roy told me that you were…uh, _grumpy_, he said." She gave him a wavering, unsure smile.

"No," Richard answered after a moment. "I'm fine…"

She looked upset. "You…you are lying to me? I do not wish to see you sad. You can tell me, if you wish…we are still friends, are we not?"

Richard forced a smile, and said gently, "'Course, Kor. Always. We promised, remember?"

She returned his smile, clapping her hands gently together. "I do remember," she said somewhat happily. "Despite my dreadful, murderously ghastly cake." Kory giggled hesitantly.

"Yeah, despite that," he teased, reaching over to ruffle her hair. They smiled at each other, each wanting to say more but lacking the courage to do so. Richard turned away rather quickly, and said, over his shoulder, with his face half-hidden beneath his thick hair, "Do you want some coffee before you go? I can get Alfred up here with something for you to drink. Tea, maybe?"

"Coffee," Kory said softly, "would be quite wonderful."

"Great. Let me get him on the house phone…" Richard leaned over his desk and picked up the receiver, preparing to dial the extension to the kitchen. Such a luxury was necessary in such a large house, and Bruce tolerated no screaming in the hallways. "One coffee coming right up."

"Your…_room of study_ is a pigsty, Richard," Kory said teasingly, surveying the litter on the floor. She bent down to pick up a stray sheet from off the carpet. "Here, allow me to be of assistance--"

Richard spun violently around to face her, dropping the receiver on the desk in the process. "Kory, don't--!"

Too late. She had picked up his letter, and had begun reading it with her lips parted in astonished distress. She unconsciously reached a shaking hand to her lips, and Richard watched numbly as her eyes darted back and forth across the page. He wanted to snatch the revolting thing out of her hand, but he felt paralyzed, heavy. He wanted to yell, to scream, to rush her away from here, from that letter, from _him, _but he could barely breathe, let alone speak…

After what seemed an age, Kory looked up. Her hand dropped from her mouth and clenched itself over her heart. "Is…is this true?" she breathed.

"Every word," Richard forced out, his voice catching. He stared at her, waiting, waiting…

But she had begun to back away, shaking her head as she stared at him in anguish. Her mouth worked, but not a word came forth from it. Her breath shortened as crystalline tears formed in her green, green eyes.

"Kory…" Richard took a step towards her, but she shook her head frantically and turned away from him.

"No, no--I must go, at once."

"Kory, wait…"

"I am most sorry!" she cried, avoiding his eye and his outstretched hand as she spun around and all but ran out of the room, his letter still clutched tightly in her fist. Within a moment she was gone, the door to the study swinging in her wake.

Richard's hands rose up slowly to grip his black hair, his fists tightening in misery. He leaned his back against the wall and slid down it until he sat limply on the carpet, his eyes squeezed shut in complete and utter torment.

"Master Richard? Master Richard?" Alfred's voice filtered through the forgotten receiver on the table, muffled and clearly tinged with concern even through the telephone. "Are you alright?"

_No, _Richard thought. He lashed out without warning and punched the chair in front of him, ignoring the immense pain that shot up his arm as the chair toppled to the floor. _No, I'm not._

* * *

Whew! Comments and constructive criticism are, as always, accepted with utmost gratitude. Thanks so very much for reading, and if I could just give you all a giant hug and cookie…I would.

Estimated release of Chapter 10: 6/27


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 is here, almost a week early! Special thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter, and happy reading everyone!

* * *

**Strangers in the Night: Chapter 10**

"And you're sure this is what you want?"

Richard stared grimly at his surrogate father, and nodded.

"You know, Dick, this seems a lot like running away. And I'm pretty sure I've taught you never to run away."

"I just…" Richard cleared his throat. "I just need to…not be _here_ for a while, Bruce."

"What happened yesterday was--"

"She knows now, okay? I did what you told me and I didn't hide my feelings from her," Richard said suddenly, his voice rising as he jumped from his chair. He strode to the window and stood with his hands clenched together behind his back. "I hadn't meant to, but she found the letter."

Bruce inclined his head, his fingers steepled together beneath his strong, square chin. "So you've said."

"And she ran," Richard breathed, his voice almost imperceptible. "She ran…from me. Do you know how that feels?" He twisted around suddenly and glared at Bruce, his stare almost accusatory. "_Do _you?"

Bruce studied his adopted son for a long moment, then leaned forward in his chair to sign a letter on the desk in front of him with a flourish. He whipped it from the tabletop and held it out for Richard to take. "When you get to Jump City tonight, give this to Lucius," he said curtly. "It says that you'll be personally supervising the new Wayne Enterprises branch office in Jump City. I want you to especially pay attention to the construction of the S.T.A.R Laboratory there. I hear my Board of Directors in Jump is…slacking. " Bruce growled dangerously, low in his throat. "I'd go there myself, but duty calls me to Metropolis tonight. Sending you would be just as well as my being there, and there's no one else I trust." Bruce looked up, a perfect eyebrow arched. "Is this sufficient for your…endeavor?"

Richard nodded again, his throat tight. "I won't let you down."

Bruce stood fluidly from his chair and put a hand on Richard's shoulder. "I know you won't," Bruce said, his gruff tone almost perfectly masking emotion that Richard knew was there. He glanced at his mentor and detected that now-familiar flicker of sentiment in Bruce's icy blue eyes. As if aware that he was caught with his guard down, Bruce turned away with only the slightest sign of haste and walked towards the bay windows behind the heavy oak desk. He resumed a stance not dissimilar to Richard's earlier posture. Richard realized, suddenly, that he had unconsciously adopted Bruce's kingly stand and smiled wanly.

_I'm becoming more and more like you everyday, Bruce._ _But…I'm still not half the man that you are._

Richard started. A strange thought…

"I won't be seeing you off tonight," Bruce continued without looking at him, his tone once again businesslike. Richard smiled almost affectionately at his broad back. Bruce never was very good with goodbyes. "I'll be leaving for Metropolis within the hour," the older man continued. "I might be seeing Clark for coffee later this evening, if my meeting at LexCorp doesn't take all night."

"Nice. Say hi to him for me." Clark Kent was Richard's self-proclaimed godfather; a tall, imposingly broad-shouldered, but almost surprisingly gentle man who has been friends with Bruce since before Richard could even remember.

"Will do."

"Well then. Goodbye, Bruce."

"Goodbye?" Bruce turned and regarded the young man with an almost amused glance. "You're not planning on visiting anytime soon?"

Richard looked down at his shoes, a sad smile on his face. "I need some…straightening up to do, Bruce. And I don't think I'll be back until then."

--

Roy leaned against the doorway, his dress shirt untucked and black tuxedo unbuttoned, watching his fiance spin slowly in front of the floor-length gilded mirror against the wall. He smiled softly, his breath catching as he looked on her affectionately. Kory was gorgeous, and sexy as hell in that damn dress. Her full-length gown hugged her curvaceous torso and spilled out to the floor from her slender waist. The dress left her shoulders, neck, and back bare, revealing naturally tanned skin that contrasted prettily with the creamy white of the gown. Her sheer white, waist-length veil shrouded her form and softened her features; something he found incredibly mysterious and seductive.

He was one lucky son of a bitch.

Kory, noticing him his reflection in the mirror, spun around to face him in surprise, the silken skirt of her gown gracefully sweeping the floor as she turned. "Roy!" she exclaimed, almost scolding. She futilely crossed her arms over her chest, as if embarrassed. "Is it not 'bad luck' for the groom to see the bride before their nuptial ceremony? Or, at least, before the dress rehearsal commences?"

Roy laughed and came over behind her to wrap his arms around her slim waist, fingering the intricate embroidery that Kory herself painstakingly sewed onto the trunk of her gown. "You're beautiful," he whispered, pushing the veil aside to plant a kiss on her bare shoulder. "Whose dress is this again?"

"Mine, Roy," Kory answered patiently, watching his reflection as he pressed his lips against her neck. "Do you not remember? I have spent many hours working on it."

"Right…geez, Kor," he said, smiling, "why go through the trouble? Designers were falling all over themselves _begging_ you to let them make your dress."

"But then it would not be truly mine," she murmured.

Roy laughed uproariously. "You and Dick," he said, stepping away to drop himself onto the couch. Kory's lips tightened, but Roy failed to notice. "You're both the same. Neither of you take advantage of your public appeal enough. Don't you know people are just dying to be at your beck and call?" He put both hands behind his head and lifted his feet onto the cushions. "What's the point of being famous otherwise?"

Kory stared at him but didn't answer. She turned back to the mirror and swept an imaginary lint ball off her skirt, her forehead creasing in a dainty frown.

"Speaking of Dick," Roy murmured, almost to himself. Kory straightened quickly, eyes wide and almost fearfully expectant. "I wish he'd be here for the wedding, at least."

Kory was startled. "What--what do you mean?" she said, fighting to keep the urgency out of her voice. She bit her lip.

"Oh, didn't I tell you? Forgot, I guess…well, he's leaving tonight for Jump City."

"…Tonight? But why?"

Her fiance shrugged, choosing to think nothing of the flicker of what he thought was quiet grief on Kory's face. Her veil made her features hazy…must've been his imagination. "Business, Kor. He won't be at the rehearsal later, and he didn't think he'll be back in time for the wedding, either." He looked out into the distance in thoughtful awe. "Now there's a man who takes his business seriously."

"But Roy…he will miss your wedding. Your best friend," she said quietly, unconsciously wringing her hands.

Roy shrugged again. "That's business," he repeated. "Sometimes you need to make sacrifices. It's all part of the road to success, Kor. You need to put it above everything else."

"Everything…?" she whispered, her voice drowned out by the piercing ringing of Roy's cellphone.

"Harper," he said into it irritably. He forced himself to his feet and headed out of the room, a look of long-suffering exasperation on his face. "Okay, fine, alright, I'm on my way to my computer right now. Andrew, seriously, can't you do anything right? Oh, and Kory," he added, glancing at her over his shoulder, "just let Rich in when he gets here, okay? He's dropping by to say goodbye before he leaves for Jump."

Without waiting for an answer, Roy strode purposefully away, barking orders into his phone, leaving a horrified, gaping Kory in his wake.

--

"Master Richard," Edmund, Roy's faithful butler, said when he opened the door. "Welcome."

Richard smiled briefly, amused. He wondered if there was some sort of butler school that all their British butlers attended; they all seemed to have perfected that straight faced, flatly indifferent demeanor that hid their loyalty and deep, deep concern for their employers. And their employers' adopted sons.

"Hey, Ed. Where's Roy?"

"In his office, sir, taking a phone call. Would you like me to bring you a drink in the parlor?"

"Yeah, coffee would be great…"

He stopped in his tracks, right outside the parlor door. He felt his mouth go dry and his throat tighten - should he have been surprised? Kory _did _live here…it wasn't as if he wasn't going to bump into her today, one way or another…

Still. The sight of her made it hard to breathe, just a little.

Especially when she stared at him over her shoulder that way, in that dress…

"Greetings, Richard," she murmured.

…And spoke his name in that voice.

He ducked his head in a bow and forced his feet towards her. She watched him as he drew near, expectant, almost wary. He came until he was an arm's length away…but no closer. By then she had turned her head away from his face, and he found it equally difficult to look in her eyes. The mirror reflected both their forms: his in a long dark coat with his hair in its usual disarray, and hers, glowing, but sad, in her wedding gown. He was darkness, she was light. She looked like an angel…if only that sadness in her eyes would go away.

"Hey. Is that it? The dress you made?" He didn't know why he felt like he had to speak quietly.

Kory nodded, her eyes looking every which way but into his.

"It's beautiful."

Kory looked up at him sharply, then away almost as quickly. "I thank you."

"No prob," he said softly.

Silence. He didn't know what else to say, and there she was, wringing her hands again.

Then suddenly she clenched her hands into fists and spun intensely to face him. "But, in the beginning, you did not even like me," she blurted distressfully. "I thought you hated me. How can you--how could…"

"Defense mechanism," he answered, shrugging awkwardly. "I didn't--I…you know. Roy." He smiled a little, though it didn't reach his baby blues. "I didn't mean to, I swear. I'm sorry I was such a jerk. And I'm sorry…for this. All this."

Kory chewed on her bottom lip. "Then…you are leaving…because of me?"

Richard reached up, slowly, almost unconsciously, and cupped her face in his hand. Kory closed her glistening eyes and leaned into his touch…

"I just need some growing up to do," he whispered. Were they closer…?

"Dick! Hey, man! When did you get here?"

He pulled his hand away and turned to his best friend. "Roy, hey," he said, forcing a smile. "Just got here."

"Yeah…" Roy glanced at him, then at Kory, then back again. Shrugging a little, he waved his phone. "Had to take care of something, you know. Business."

"I know it," Richard said.

"So…you're definitely not gonna make it to the wedding? I was really hoping you'd be there, man."

"Yeah…I wish," Richard agreed. "Bruce really needs me in Jump, though, Roy. It's…I'm sorry. You know how it is."

Roy nodded vigorously. "Yeah, yeah I know it."

Richard glanced pointedly at his watch and gathered his best friend into a last brotherly hug. "I have to go, my flight's in a few. You should both visit me in Jump sometime." He shot a smile in Kory's general direction.

"When will you return?" The sound of Kory's voice seemed sudden.

Richard turned to her. Her eyes were crystallized; the green glistened with unshed tears. Her fists were clutching her gown at her sides, and her lips were slightly pursed in an attempt at control.

And she was beautiful.

"Not anytime soon," Richard said once he'd found his tongue. He turned abruptly and headed towards the door, fighting the urge to sprint out of there. He stopped, remembering, and said, "Goodbye, you two. Have a great wedding," without turning around.

Then he was gone.

Kory glided over to the windows. She pressed a hand to her heart and the other to the glass as she noted the apocalyptical downpour that had begun unnoticed. Darkness had fallen, but she had no trouble seeing the figure that rushed from her front door to the backseat of the black Rolls waiting for him. She watched until the car turned out of the circular driveway, then closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against the windowpane, as if exhausted.

And Roy saw.

"Kory…" he managed before his cell phone began to ring. He brought it instinctively to his ear, then froze halfway through the motion. Staring at it with an unreadable expression, he let his hand drop to his side and stood there motionless until it stopped.

Kory never even heard it ring.

Roy strode over to her silently and brought a hand up to touch her shoulder. She started, surprised, and glanced first at his hand then at his face. His expression silenced anything she would have wanted to say.

"I haven't been a good man to you, have I?" he said in a rush. It was barely a question.

"Roy…"

"No, Kor," he interrupted softly. He turned away and dropped himself into a chair by the window. He put his head in his hands, then, noticing that he still had his phone in his palm, stared at it for a moment before hurling it away from him. It bounced on the hardwood floor once, twice…then broke on the third. The screen must have shattered, at least, from the sound it had made.

Kory stared at the device, lying dead on the floor. It was disconcerting to see it so. She moved towards Roy, who was staring at his phone with a strange, almost unbelieving look on his face. "Roy," she tried again. She stepped back, startled, when he gave a short, almost maniacal laugh.

"I can't believe I just did that," he said, shaking his head as he wiped moisture from his eyes. "I can't marry you, Kory Anders," he said suddenly, twisting his body to look up at her. "I can't marry you," he repeated, awed, as if enlightened.

Kory gaped at him. "Wh-what?" She dropped to her knees beside him. "What do you mean, Roy? …Roy?" She cupped her hands on either side of his face and studied him intently.

Laughing softly, he brought a hand up to caress her cheek, sadness in his eyes. "Oh, Kory. I could never make you happy. No, stop," he said, interrupting the sound of protest that had started in her throat. "There are so many things I want in life, and, just now, I realized that marriage isn't one of them. What was I thinking? I'm _Roy Harper_ for god's sake!" He laughed and shook his head as took her smaller hands in his and stood, making her rise to her feet as well. He pressed his forehead to hers, closed his eyes, and whispered,

"You deserve something - someone - better. Someone who truly loves you, Kor. Someone that _you_ truly love." He opened his eyes and stared into hers, intently, pointedly, knowingly. "_Go to him._"

Her own eyes widened. "Oh, Roy!" Kory gave a sob and threw her arms around him.

Roy hugged her close, then pulled away laughing. "Kory, _go_, before it's too late. Find Edmund, and tell him to take you to the airport. _Go._"

Crying now, Kory hugged him one last time and whispered "I thank you" into his ear. Then she picked up her skirts and bolted from the room.

Roy Harper stood quietly until he heard the limo start up in the driveway. He was motionless until he heard it drive away, its wheels screeching in the wet asphalt. He waited until all he could hear was the rain on the windowpane, then slowly walked over to the remains of his phone. He picked it up lingeringly, then slipped it into the pocket of his pants. He glanced down - lovingly, sadly - at the veil that Kory tossed away in her haste…

…and he smiled.

* * *

Moves fast, hm? ;) 

**tahitiliz** - oh, I LOVE writing Bruce. Hahaa, you're still awesome. Cookie for you!  
**Rochelleteentitan** -LOL your comment made me laugh. Thanks for liking my story!  
**RoseXxxXThorn** -I finished early! Yay! So proud of myself. Thanks for the comment!  
**squeegeebob** - ohhh that comment made me sososo happy! Thanks SO much for sticking with me, and this story.  
**Cartoonstar** - Yay! Hope you liked this chapter too.  
**Eve Royal **- Haha, yeah, that scene was sort of a pain to write. There's a scene like it in the movie _Love Actually _(which this fic is based on), except with a video, and I wanted to do something like it. Thanks for the comment!  
**-88azngirl88- **-Ah! Sorry! I DO seem to end all my chapters with a cliffhanger…eep. Heehee, thanks for your review!  
**ThexRealxStarfire** -Thanks so much! Your wonderful review just made me want to hug you. :HUG:  
**Spread-My-Wingz-and-Soar**- Aaww, gosh I love you guys. Oh, I love writing Raven too. She's so much fun.  
**Chittychittybangbang16** -Thanks for your comment! I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long!  
**Starrobin4eva** -Since my muse got this chapter out of me so fast, hopefully the next (and probably last) one will be just as easy for me to write. Hopefully no more writer's blocks!  
**Kor Anders - **I'm glad you do! Thanks for the review!

Hugs and kisses to everyone who read, especially those who took the time to review. You're all wonderful. As usual, comments and constructive criticism are much appreciated.

Love, Jo.


	11. Chapter 11

Last chapter of_ Strangers in the Night._ I can't apologize enough for the atrociously long wait. Happy reading! Comments and constructive criticism are, as usual, welcome and appreciated.

Warning: Shamelessly cheesy fluff. And OoC-ness.

* * *

**Strangers in the Night: Chapter 11**

He'll get over her one day.

Maybe not tomorrow, maybe not next year. Maybe not in the next ten years, but an age will pass and someday his great love for her will fade, leaving only a memory; a fairy tale he'll tell his grandkids one day.

_It was way before I met your grandmother, _Richard imagined himself saying, a rueful smile dimpling his cheek. He glanced out the window into the dark sky, noting the swirling blackness that was splintered only by angry bolts of lightning. For once, the weather reflected his heart.

And the rain continued to pour.

--

The limo was much too small.

Kory Anders wanted nothing more than to pace. Her limbs ached with the desire, but she was much too tall and the limo was going as fast as it was able.

Which was, unfortunately, no more than a pathetic crawl that made her want to scream.

"Edmund, please, could we not move a bit more rapidly?" she pleaded for the millionth time, fidgeting anxiously in her seat. The skirt of her wedding dress was fisted in a white-knuckled grip on her lap, and it took all her willpower not to catapult herself out of that stiflingly slow-moving limousine.

Her driver glanced back at her through the rear-view mirror, and said, looking truly apologetic, "No, Miss. Traffic…and the roads are slick…"

She moaned and covered her face in her hands.

_Oh, Richard. Wait for me._

--

"But Master Dick…"

"It's okay, Norman. I can take it from here."

"But sir, don't you want an umbrella, at least?"

"I'm fine. Get back to the Manor quick; the storm's getting worse. I won't be home for a while, so…I'll just be seeing you, I guess…"

"But…"

"Goodbye."

--

Kory repressed a scream when they once again stopped at a red light at an intersection. She was fiddling with her fingers again, and her lower lip seemed permanently trapped between her teeth. Kory had begun to feel the need to hyperventilate when Edmund spoke suddenly, his tone almost incredulous.

"Miss, isn't that Master Dick's car?"

His passenger let out a squeak that sounded vaguely like "Where?!" and toppled right out of her seat.

"There, Miss, on the opposite side of the road. Parked on the curb."

Kory scrambled up to the window and pressed her nose to the rain-spattered glass. Lo and behold, there, indeed, was Richard's Rolls Royce, parked forlornly against the sidewalk. The rain bounced off its sleek exterior in a fine spray, making it seem surrounded by mist…

And it was the most wonderful thing Kory had ever seen.

"Edmund…"

She saw him reflect her grin through the rearview mirror. "Yes, Miss," he piped enthusiastically. Once the light turned green, Ed gunned the accelerator and they shot forward; Kory clapped her hands and laughed, her spirits higher than they've been in hours. Ed made such a swift U-Turn that the limo's back wheels skidded on the wet asphalt, and more than a few anxious drivers sounded their horns. In almost no time at all the limo screeched to a halt against the opposite sidewalk, the vehicle tipping perilously to the side for a heart-stopping moment.

Kory leapt out of the car from the backseat, hardly acknowledging the fact that she was drenched in mere seconds. Ed struggled to get out of the limo with an umbrella to shield his mistress, but even before he could step out into the rain, Kory had already wrenched open the passenger door to the Rolls and stuck her head inside.

"Richard--!"

The backseat was empty.

Kory stared around in confusion. "What?"

"He is not here, Miss Kory," Norman said kindly from the driver's seat, as if the leather seats were screamed at regularly by wet maidens in wedding clothes.

_Not here? _Kory's heart stopped. "But where--he is not…?" She sat, winded, her hand rising to place itself over her heart. "I am too late?"

"No, Miss, not late at all. His flight was cancelled because of the storm."

"…Cancelled?"

Norman's visage took on a slightly horrified look as Kory gave a heart-wrenching sob and threw herself down onto the backseat, gown and all.

"Miss Kory…?" he said cautiously, mistaking her relieved tears for despair.

"X'hal, _cancelled!"_Kory repeated laughingly. "Oh, I am most happy," she murmured into the leather, her voice muffled. After one last sniffle, she lifted her head from her arms and asked, confusedly, "But if he has not gone to Jump, then where..?"

"He has gone to the pier, Miss."

"The pier? But why?"

Norman's forehead creased in a frown. "He said he wanted to walk there, alone. He told me to go back to the Manor, but I waited here instead, so perhaps I could catch him on his way back home…" The faithful butler trailed off, torn between having to obey an order and desiring to see his master safe.

Kory sent him a wavering smile, her eyes glistening.

"Norman, would you take me to him?"

--

Richard should have been freezing.

He was, after all, standing motionlessly at the end of the Gotham pier, watching the sea and sky rage on the horizon. The icy waters of the Atlantic splashed against the dock, occasionally flowing over the planks and onto Richard's expensive shoes. The wind sent his dark hair and the hem of his black coat whipping behind him like a cape, and the raindrops were needles on his face.

He, however, seemed to feel none of these discomforts.

Richard smiled ironically into the storm and shook his head. "I can't even run away properly," he said to himself, a black feeling washing over him as seawater ran over his ankles.

The back of his neck prickled. Almost instinctively he turned, and caught his breath when he saw Kory standing several feet away, her green eyes large and bright with unshed tears. She almost looked airborne, her red hair flying about her head and her ruined white dress catching violently in the wind. She was beautiful even in her grief, and Richard found himself wondering whether she was an apparition; a ghost of his lost hopes. They stared and stared and stared at each other, wordlessly, immovably, despairingly…

Until finally she spoke.

"Why do you love me?" she said, shouting over the sounds of the storm.

He gaped at her, confused.

"Is it because I am pretty? Is it because I am tall, or 'hot'? Is it because I am wealthy, and my sister is famous? _Why do you love me_?"

"Yes!"

"_What_?"

"I love you," he shouted, choking, "because of all of that. Because of all that, and everything else about you. You make me feel like…like nothing could ever replace you."

Lightning lit up his face, and his expression stole Kory's breath from her lips.

"I want to protect you. I want to care for you, to keep you safe. I want you to be happy, always, all the time…I've never felt that way towards anyone before!" he continued, still shouting, a clap of thunder threatening to overpower his voice. He fell silent, gasping, almost drowning in the downpour now, waiting.

For a moment all that could be heard was the storm, raging and angry, surrounding them, working the sea, howling into eternity.

"My feelings are the same!" Kory screamed, but the wind tore her words away and into the night sky.

"What? What?" Richard yelled, his heart pounding in his ears. _Did she just…_?

"_I love you, Dick Grayson." _This time he heard her perfectly, and her fervency made him reel. "I have just realized: it is you for whom I feel these violent sentiments! _Not Roy, Richard. You._"

And then she was in his arms, and he was kissing her, and she was kissing back, and for a long moment all Richard could feel were her lips on his.

--

EPILOGUE – Almost one year later.

--

The bride's smile was as bright as the sun that streamed through the stained-glass windows. There was a shyness in her gaze as she stared at the tuxedoed man in front of her, and the congregation was breathless at the sight of it.

"You may kiss the bride," said the holy man at his altar, and even he could not resist a grin when the groom laughed and sealed his mouth to his bride's. The church was suddenly filled with sound; the crowd cheered and whistled, and the bells in the steeple began to ring.

Kory glanced over the couple's heads and grinned playfully at Richard, who had been staring at her with an unreadable expression that made her breath catch.

"Hi," she mouthed, suddenly feeling shy.

But by then the storm in his eyes had calmed. His mouth quirked and rolled his eyes the couple in front of them, who seemed to have been permanently attached at the mouth. He and Kory looked out over the crowd and caught the eye of Roy, who was sitting next to Vic Stone and Karen Beecher a few rows away. On his other side sat an adorable Asian woman named Jade Nguyen, with whom he has been in a happy relationship for several months. The redheaded man waggled his eyebrows at the kissing couple, then mimed vomiting with a finger pointed at the back of his throat. Richard snorted back a laugh, and grinned when Vic threw a wink in his direction. Kory, Jade, and Karen shared a brief expression of half-amused horror, and gave their respective boyfriends mild glares. The boys swallowed their silent giggles and behaved, somewhat.

Finally, Raven ended the kiss, reddening as Gar gave a loud whoop that was echoed enthusiastically by the rest of the onlookers in the church. His green hair seemed out of place with his pristine black suit and the crystal in the bouquets, but none of that seemed to matter when he crushed Raven to him in a bear hug that made her throw back her head in a laugh.

Then, as Gar led her back down the isle amidst flower petals and hoots of friends, she turned and caught Richard's eye; something in her gaze softened his expression, and he raised a hand in a slow salute.

"Love you," Raven said without sound. She glanced at Kory and back at Richard, then gave him a mischievous grin before she let Gar sweep her into his arms with a shout and a bark of laughter.

Kory tilted her head in slight bemusement as she caught the end of Raven's teasing glance, and started when Richard suddenly appeared at her side with his arm outstretched.

"Ready?" he said, taking her hand with a playful glint in his eye.

Kory nodded, smiling sheepishly, and allowed him to lead her down the isle behind their friends and the still-cheering crowd.

"Daydreaming, were you?"

"Not at all," she huffed, reddening slightly.

Her lover chuckled softly, then leaned down to whisper, "That grey dress is amazing on Rae. And these violet bridesmaids' dresses – how did you finish them on time?" He fingered the purple material of her dress, and let his hand linger on her waist.

"With no help from you, Mr. Grayson," she giggled impishly, reaching up to steal a kiss. "Such a…_distraction_ you are."

"You should talk. So," he said conversationally, his casual tone taking on an edge of apprehension, "how would you like to finally walk down this isle properly one day?" He turned to her, stopping her in her tracks with the look in his eyes. "With me?"

Kory pulled away almost roughly and stood with her hands on her hips, gaping at him with mock-offended surprise. "Mr. Grayson! Was that a proposal?" she exclaimed, a tell-tale blush forming on the apples of her cheeks.

"If it was?" he challenged, grinning as butted his forehead against hers gently.

Kory stood there a moment, her expression akin to a goldfish's, then suddenly broke into the brightest smile he's ever seen. She launched herself at him, squealing, her arms tightening around his neck. He caught her laughingly, lifted her up, and swung her in a wide circle.

"Was that a 'yes'?" Richard asked, grinning.

Kory leaned down and kissed him senseless, ignoring the crowd that milled around them towards the door, before pulling away to whisper in his ear.

"Yes," she said breathlessly. "It most certainly was."

--

_Strangers in the night,  
Two lonely people,  
We were strangers in the night  
Up to the moment  
When we said our first hello.  
Little did we know  
Love was just a glance away,  
A warm embracing dance away and  
Ever since that night we've been together.  
Lovers at first sight, in love forever.  
It turned out so right,  
For strangers in the night._

THE END

* * *

WOW. I can't believe it's over. After more than two and a half years of erratic updating and almost 300 wonderfully kind reviews, _Strangers in the Night_, my very first multichapter fic, has officially come to an end. I would like to thank everyone who has read and reviewed this story, especially those who have stuck by it despite the shamefully long hiatuses. You are all so wonderful, and I wish I could just personally give all of you a giant hug. Thanks so much for allowing me to share this fic with you. 

**Moonlitsfantasy** – That was supposed to be 7/18 of 2007, could you believe that? I am just so awful at updating. I'm so happy you stumbled onto my story, and that you like it!  
**MicWhite10** – Thanks so much for your review! I hope the ending wasn't disappointing. D  
**linkinparkh2over** – Thank you! Let me know if you liked this chapter as well.  
**hollly** – Haha, torturing Richard is always fun. And the scenes between Bruce and Richard are my favorite, so thanks for liking them too!  
**BerryDrops** – I'm sorry this update took so long! But I hope you liked this chapter.  
**Puckyblack** – LOL I'm sorry for the cliffhanger, AND the delay! Thanks for the funny review.  
**starrobin4eva** – Hi! How are you again? Thanks for your always-lovely reviews!  
**AsylleClaire** – Yay, thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you thought Kory was in character…I tried really hard to keep them all believable.  
**DOJ** – So nice to hear from you again! Glad you liked it You're grrrreat!  
**Cartoonstar** – Yay! Thanks for loving this story!  
**Somekindafreak**y – Wow, I've been a fan of yours for a long time! Thanks so much for reviewing again. I'm still awaiting an update to that amazing, amazing fic of yours, Christmasing with You!  
**Jumpstarter** – Thanks so much! I loved your review…you've really understood the message I was trying to portray. You're awesome!  
**Spread-My-Wingz-And-Soar** – Haha, you got some of it right. Nice predictions ; Thanks for the review!  
**Rochelleteentitan** – Roy had a happy ending too. Thanks for your review!  
**chittychittybangbang16**– Yay, I'm glad you do! Hope you liked the ending!  
**Tahitiliz** – I can't help myself, I just have to end with cliffhangers, haha! And I love Bruce, I couldn't help but stick him in here one last time. Great to hear from you, tahitiliz!  
**ThexRealXStarfire** – Thanks so much for your sweet review! I hope this chapter was fluffy enough.

Until next time,  
Jo.


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